The Changes We Make
by kikiskorner
Summary: Emma wants to help Dean, but Dean won't let her in...or will he?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This is a semi-sequel to the short fic "Light My Fire". You don't need to read that to read this, however, it may help understand the very beginning of this a little better. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter One**

Emma pulls her hair into a ponytail as she makes her way out of the locker room. Lucky for her, and the other Divas and Superstars, they always seemed to have access to a gym in every city the visited. She looks around as she starts stretching her arms. When her gaze reaches the area with the dumbbells, benches, and pull up bars, she spots Dean with Seth and Roman. She's tempted to go over and talk to Dean. After their last encounter, she's been worried about him. She knows she's dumb for even thinking about him. It's not as if he would tell her anything. It's not even as if he'd want to be seen with her.

To top it off, she's still plenty embarrassed by her actions before she'd walked away that evening. Why on earth had she kissed him? So it was simply on the cheek. They weren't friends. Before that night they had barely talked to each other; and she's pretty sure she did the talking before that. She likely only got a grunt out of Dean. But here she is, wanting nothing more than to talk to him, which angers her for some strange reason.

"Emma," Paige says pulling Emma out of her thoughts.

As she turns toward her friend, Dean is looking over. She doesn't catch the small smile that appears on the man's face. Just as fast as it appears, it disappears even quicker. Emma smiles as she approaches Paige.

"Hey," she says.

Paige smiles at her. "I've been trying to get over there for ten minutes." She gestures over to where the members of the Shield are occupying. "They won't move."

"So make 'em." Emma holds her arms out and swings them in circles, loosening her muscles. "Or join 'em."

Paige snorts. "Join 'em? The Shield? That's a good one."

Emma shrugs. "They can't take up everything. And I want to do my weights." She turns on her heel and walks over to where Roman in standing in front of the dumbbells. "Mind if I grab some?"

Dean hears the accent he can't get out of his head, causing him to lose his balance in the middle of a pull up. "Fuck," he says as his hands slip on the pull up bar causing him to fall. Lucky for him, he still landed on his feet.

Roman raises an eyebrow at his friend. "Dean, you all right?" he asks.

"Fuck off," Dean mutters, wiping his sweaty hands on his shorts. "Fucking bar should have some fucking grip." He grabs the towel he'd placed to the side to wipe his hands better. "Piece of shit is what it is."

Roman looks at Emma. "Ignore him. And go for it." He steps to the side with the weights he has. He notices Paige lurking nearby. "Finally coming over?"

Paige frowns at him. "Excuse me?" she asks.

"You've been glaring over at us for the last fifteen minutes. Take some weights or whatever."

Emma smiles as she moves over to one of the benches. She sets the weights down before she goes back to her stretching. She sees Paige step up to the bench beside her a moment later. "So you left early this morning," she says. "New boy toy?"

Paige snorts. "Hardly."

Emma giggles at that. She grabs her weights. "Where'd you go?"

"Had to run to the store before coming here." Paige groans. "Do you ever crave something but can't find it? Times like this I miss being home."

"Definitely. I always want our native peach. So delicious." She starts doing her side arm lifts. "You went in search of something then?"

"Yeah. They have things close, but not like home."

Dean glances over and raises an eyebrow. "How can you two be working out if you're talking?" he asks clearing agitated. When Emma looks over, she's frowning. Dean has come to hate that frown. He'd seen it that night after he'd mentioned her dancing and it nearly broke his heart. Which is probably what's been pissing him off lately.

"We can do both," she states. She goes back to what she was doing. "So when am I getting my title shot?"

Paige laughs softly. "Bring it, Kangaroo."

"Anytime." She smiles at Paige.

"For fuck's sake," Dean mutters. He walks over to where he'd dropped his water, towel, and phone. He grabs his phone; luckily he actually remembered his ear buds this time. "Pain in the ass."

"Listen, jackass," Paige says, setting her weights down. "You don't own this damn gym. We 'ave a right to talk while we work out. Get over it."

Roman sighs and steps in front of Dean when he turns around. "Back off," he says.

Dean growls. "That little…"

"Dean, go cool off."

Dean holds his hands up. "Fine." He pushes past them and walks outside. "You don't own this damn gym," he mutters. "Fuck you, Paige." He sits down on the bench and stares out across the parking lot.

Emma frowns as she watches Dean storm out. She looks over at Roman. "What's with him?"

Roman sighs. "Who knows?" He shrugs. "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. Just tends to be a little hot headed."

Emma nods a little as she looks over at the entrance again. "Excuse me." She sets her weights down before making her way outside. She finds Dean sitting on the bench and moves to sit down beside him.

Dean looks over and sighs. "You again?" he asks.

"Me again," Emma responds. She watches him. "Want to talk about it?"

"Nothing to talk about." He looks over at her. "What do you want, Emma?"

"Well, at least you remember my name."

"Don't go getting giddy about it. We aren't friends."

"Maybe not. But other than Roman and Seth, do you know anyone's name?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "I know plenty of their names. I just don't care."

"What happened to you? The last time we talked…"

"The last time we talked I had just got dumped. I was a pathetic mess. Now? I don't give a fuck. So if you want to get all buddy buddy with someone, go find someone else. Because it sure as hell ain't gonna be me, sweetheart."

"Hmm. Funny, doesn't seem like your flame has gone out." Emma stands up.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

She shakes her head. "You kept saying that you thought your flame was dying out. You are wrong, Dean. It's still there." She shrugs. "You just need to find a way to bring it out again." She turns and walks back inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The following night, Dean is walking the hall of the arena toward catering when he sees Emma standing with Paige. He groans, knowing he's going to have to pass them. What is it about the Aussie that makes him want to pull his hair out? As he's passing, he expects the bubbly girl that she normally is. Instead, he gets an icy glare from Paige and barely a glance from Emma. He raises an eyebrow as he glances back at them. Okay, so maybe he deserves that after the way he spoke to Emma.

He walks into catering and over to grab some food. He sighs heavily as he sits down where Seth and Roman are sitting. "I just got the fucking death glare from Paige," he mutters.

Roman chuckles. "Are you surprised?" he asks. "You were an ass yesterday."

Dean shrugs. "Whatever." He takes a bite of his sandwich.

"I think someone is sweet on Emma," Seth chimes in. "You got odder than normal when she came over."

"Fuck you, Rollins." Dean is taking a drink of his water when he sees Emma and Paige walk in. He sighs. "Has there been a lock in for us tonight?"

"Not yet. Waiting on the final word."

As if on cue, Stephanie appears at the side of their table. "Gentlemen," she says with a smile. "There's been a change of plans. When you're through eating, come down to my office."

"Sure thing," Roman says.

"Don't be long." She walks away.

Dean raises an eyebrow when she stops by Paige and Emma. "What the fuck is going on?"

Roman shrugs. "I've stopped trying to guess what's going to happen and just go with it."

After they finish and clear the table, they head down to where Stephanie's office is. Roman knocks, opening the door when they're told to come in. Dean frowns when he sees Emma and Paige in the office as well.

"Gentlemen, thank you for coming," Stephanie says. "I'm sure you know Emma and Paige." She looks between the two groups. "We have a plan. It's something that the audience will not be expecting from the Shield. And we like the unexpected."

Dean raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms over his chest. Where is this going? Stephanie smiles wider as she looks at Dean, Roman, and Seth.

"There has been a consistency of who you attack or save. We're changing that, the saving part." She points to the divas. "These are the two you will be coming out for."

"Excuse me?" Dean asks unable to stop himself.

"Hunter and I have been talking about ways to get you three out there more. What better way than to add the divas into the mix. You need to show the softer side of the group. Even if it doesn't come off that way, saving them will make people see it. Paige has a match against Layla tonight. Swagger and Colter will come out there and that's when you three will make your way out. Emma will be out with Santino against Summer Rae with Fandango. You'll be coming out then as well."

"How are we coming out?" Roman asks.

"Like you normally do. Nothing will change with that. The others already know what's going one. Hunter talked to them before you five came in. They're on board. So you three can go talk to them and figure things out from there."

"You got it," Seth says.

Dean looks across the room at Emma and barely manages to hold back his growl. How the hell is he supposed to work with Emma? The woman drives him crazy. He looks at Stephanie once again.

"That'll be all. Thank you all for coming in."

Dean walks out of the office and immediately storms toward their locker room. He can't believe this is happening. Why? Why do they need to be working with the Divas? He doesn't have an issue with the Divas. But he just never thought he'd have to be working with them… especially Emma. He growls as he walks into the locker room. Fucking Emma is going to end up driving him over the edge.

"Dean, calm down," Roman says as he and Seth walk into the locker room.

"Why do we have to work with the Divas?" Dean asks. "Why?"

"What's wrong with working with them?" Seth retorts. "I think it's a good way to go. Just because we're going out there doesn't mean they're going to be with us or anything. We're just going out there to make sure they don't get hurt."

Dean sits down and growls. He doesn't have a chance to say anything because someone knocks on the door. He sighs as he stares at the door. It better not be Emma. Dean isn't sure he can handle seeing her right now.

"Come in," Roman says.

Dean sighs of relief when he sees that it's Jack and Fandango. He leans back on the chair and looks at the others. "Looks like you two are getting your asses kicked."

Jack laughs a little. "Looks that way."

They spend the next few minutes going over what they'll be doing. Dean looks at Seth and Roman when the other two leave. "Still not happy about this," he mutters.

"If it wasn't Emma, would you be this bitchy?" Roman asks.

Dean glares at him. "Fuck you."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Okay, you really need to talk to us. What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing. She just drives me fucking crazy."

"Emma?"

"Yes, Emma!"

"What's wrong with Emma?"

"The problem is that she gets to him and he doesn't want to want a bubbly girl," Seth says. "Maybe you need someone like her."

"Maybe you should shut the fuck up," Dean counters.

Roman rolls his eyes. "Dean, come on man."

Dean sighs. "I have never let a girl distract me." He rubs the back of his neck. "You saw me at the gym. Who the hell slips off the damn pull up bar? I heard her and just forgot what the hell I was even doing."

Seth frowns at Dean. "You really are sweet on her. When did this even start?"

Dean sighs. "Remember the night I caught Brie with…" He growls, unable to even finish the name. "And she bitches at me because I'm fucking worthless?"

"Yeah. We made you go outside so you wouldn't break anything."

"Right. Well, Emma came out and I kinda bitched at her. We ended up talking. It wasn't long, but I just… I don't know." He shrugs. "I don't know."

"So why not talk to her instead of bitch at everyone?" Roman asks. "What are you scared of?"

Dean sighs. "I just…" He's thankful when there's a knock on the door. "Come in."

"This isn't over," Roman says.

"Guys, you need to make your way up. Paige is out next."

"Thanks."

Dean leans against the wall as they wait to go out. He pours a little water over his hair before pushing it back. He looks at Roman. "Ready?"

"Always." Roman grins at him.

_Sierra… hotel… India… echo… lima… delta_. The workers open the doors and the three of them head out. Dean keeps his thumbs hooked in his vest as they make their way down the steps toward the ring. As they circle the ring, Paige scoots into the corner. Dean climbs up onto the apron as Seth and Roman do the same thing. It doesn't take long for them to have Jack in the position for the triple power bomb.

Dean looks over at Paige as he moves to stand around Jack with Seth and Roman. She pulls herself up in the corner and nods a thanks to them. Dean holds his fist out as their music plays once again. They climb out of the ring, leaving Paige there looking after them.

"Wasn't so bad," Seth says after they get to the back.

Dean looks at him. "It was Paige out there."

"So it's going to be worse later?"

Paige walks over after she gets back. "Hey," she says. "Dean, can I talk to you?"

Dean frowns but nods. "What's up?"

She pulls him to the side. "Listen, I know I snapped at you and I don't take that back. But it looks like we may be working together. And I don't want it to be awkward."

He nods. "I'm with you there. Look, things haven't been great for me lately and I kinda fly off the handle a lot easier. Doesn't help that I don't talk to many people about anything."

"But Emma made you talk?" When he nods, Paige grins. "She has that effect on people. So, we're putting everything behind us and moving forward?"

Dean nods again. "Yeah. And I'm sorry for snapping at you."

Paige grins. "No problem."

Dean walks down the hall toward their locker room again. He lets out a heavy breath. Well, at least he won't be getting the death glare anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Dean lets out a heavy breath as he watches the monitor. They'd gotten word a short time ago that things had changed slightly with Emma. Instead of coming out like they normally do, the Shield were running in from the back. Dean is clueless as to why they would change it so late in the game. Who is he to question it? He crosses his arms over his chest as he waits for their cue. The biggest issue is they weren't informed of what the change was. They were just told they'd know it when they saw it.

Then something happens that Dean hadn't been expecting. He drops his arms, frowning as he stares at the screen. Why are Randy and Batista going out? Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Roman and Seth with the same confused look he has. Dean shakes his head when he sees Randy and Batista cornering Emma.

"What the fuck is going on?" he asks. He growls when Randy grabs Emma by the hair. Before he can even get his cue, he pushes his way through the workers and runs out toward the ring. He doesn't get there quick enough, however, as Randy RKO's Emma. He slides into the ring and attacks Randy.

Roman and Seth are right behind him, both attacking Batista. Randy manages to get slip out of the ring. Dean stands back up and stares out at Randy. Seth pushes Dean out of the way before jumping over the top rope, landing on top of Randy outside of the ring. Dean drags a hand through his hair as he looks over to see Roman now kneeling beside Emma. He walks over as Roman helps Emma sit up.

"Slowly," Roman says softly.

Dean growls as he looks over to where Randy and Batista are walking up the ramp. He's tempted to run up and give them a beating they'll never forget. Seth walks over and shakes his head at Dean.

"We'll get them later," he says.

Dean climbs out of the ring and waits for Roman to help Emma through the ropes. Reaching up, Dean helps her down, keeping an arm around her as they start walking to the back. "You okay?" he asks.

Emma nods as she holds her head. Dean looks over when Roman and Seth join them. Roman pats his back. Once they get into the back, Dean turns to look at Emma.

"Are you really okay?" he asks.

She nods. "Yeah." She smiles a little. "Not often I get RKO'd though."

"Did you know?"

She frowns as she nods. "Yeah. They came to me a little bit ago. They didn't tell you?"

"No. They just said there was a slight change." Dean rests his hands on Emma's shoulders. "Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

He nods. "Want me to walk you back to your locker room?"

"No, thank you though."

"Okay." He watches as she walks away before looking at Roman and Seth. "What the fuck was that? Why the fuck wouldn't they tell us?"

"I don't know. I think we need to go talk to them," Roman says.

As they're walking toward Stephanie's office, Renee stops them. Dean raises an eyebrow at her as she asks for a moment.

"You were out earlier with Paige and just now with Emma. This is a first for the group."

"This isn't a first for the group," Dean interrupts. "We've made it very clear why we're here. Doesn't matter who is out there at the time. If we need to take care of injustice, we will." He looks at the camera. "Randy Orton…" He drags a hand through his hair. "…I'm comin' for you." With that, he walks away. Once he reaches Stephanie's office, he doesn't bother knocking as he barges in.

Stephanie jumps a little as she looks over. "Dean…"

"What the hell was that?"

"That's exactly what we wanted to happen. We didn't want you to know about it before hand. We wanted this reaction from you."

Dean stares at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Believe it or not, Dean, you aren't as mysterious as you think you are. I saw the way you and her connected at the hotel and then again at the gym." She smiles at Dean. "You two work well against each other."

"You're putting me in a fucking love angle?"

"No, of course not. That would never go over. But knowing that you actually care about the divas is going to help you. It's also going to help in our future plans for the Shield."

Dean looks over at Seth and Roman. "This is crazy."

"Just keep going with it," Stephanie says. "What just happened was great. That's what we wanted."

Dean rubs the back of his neck. "You still should have told us."

"It wouldn't have come off the way it did."

He sighs and nods. "Yeah, okay." He turns to leave but Stephanie grabs him.

"One more thing, Dean."

He looks at her. "Yeah?"

"She's a nice girl. Don't change that."

He frowns at her. "Right, I keep forgetting I'm a complete ass hole."

"I didn't mean that."

He shrugs. "Whatever." He walks out, not letting her get another word in. As he passes the divas locker room, he stops. He looks back at the door before stepping over and knocking. He sees Roman and Seth walking toward him and is tempted to just walk away. Before he can, the door is opening.

"Dean," Eva says with a smile.

"Emma here?"

"Sure. But she's really not…"

"I want to see her."

"What if she doesn't want to see you?" Eva licks her lips as she looks Dean up and down.

Dean growls. "Emma," he calls into the locker room. He looks past Eva when Emma appears. He nearly sighs of relief to see that she appears to be the same Emma she usually is. "Hey."

"Hey, Dean." Emma smiles as she steps past Eva. "Checking up on me?"

Dean nods a little. "I guess you could say that." He shrugs. "How's your head?"

"It's fine. Really, I'm okay. Randy talked to me before hand and let me know a few things." She looks up at Dean and smiles. "You still seem pretty upset."

He nods. "Yeah." He sighs. "Wanna get something to eat after the show?"

She nods. "Yeah, sure." She frowns a little. "Dean…"

"I'll see you later." He walks away at that.

Emma looks after Dean and frowns. Roman rests his hand on her shoulder as he approaches. She looks up at him.

"Don't try to figure him out," Roman says. "It's pointless." He smiles at her. "Glad you're okay."

Dean looks at Roman. "Think you could find a ride?" he asks.

Roman nods. "Yeah. I'll talk to Paige actually. I think her and Emma came together. So is this a date?"

Dean glares at him. "Fuck off. No. I just think her and I need to talk."

"You? Talk?" Seth raises an eyebrow. "Dean…"

"Don't start." Dean sighs. "I just think there's some things we both need to say."

Roman nods. "I agree."

Dean grabs his back pack, slipping it on before hooking his other two bags together. "All right, I'm out," he says as he looks around to make sure he has everything.

Roman looks over. "Okay." He stands up and walks over to Dean so only he can hear him. "Don't be afraid to talk to her."

Dean nods. "I know."

"You say that, but I know you. You bottle up. Don't with her." He squeezes Dean's shoulder. "Have fun."

Dean walks down the hall toward the Divas' locker room. He's about to knock when the door opens. Emma halts and smiles wildly up at him.

"Hi," Dean says.

"Hi back," she responds as she steps out of the room completely.

"How you feeling?"

"I'm good." They start walking down the hall. "It's not the first time I've been in the ring with a male."

"I'm sure it's not." He shrugs as he looks at her. "Just making sure." He opens the door and lets Emma walk out first. He isn't surprised to find fans gathering around to catch a glimpse of the superstars and divas. "I'm to the right."

"Okay." Emma turns toward the right once they get to the bottom of the ramp.

"Ambrose," a few fans yell.

"Emma," others yell.

Dean stops at the back of his rented SUV. He digs into his jeans pocket for the keys, frowning when he doesn't feel them. "Guess I should've checked for the keys before we got out here."

Emma smiles at him as she sets her shoulder bag down. "Probably would've been wise."

"Ambrose, you fucking Emma now?"

Dean growls when he hears the fan yell that. He's ready to turn and yell something back but stops when Emma's hand touches his back. "Emma…"

"Not worth it. It isn't, Dean, and you know it."

He nods as he reaches into his other pocket. "Keys." He holds them up to show her.

"Brilliant." She beams at him as he pushes the button to open the lift gate.

Dean gets his bags put in before turning and taking Emma's. He gets them in and shuts the door. "Anywhere you want to go?"

She shrugs. "I don't care really. I'm not picky. Something with food because I'm hungry."

He chuckles. "Thanks for the help." They both walk to their respective sides and climb in. He looks over at Emma. "Thanks for agreeing to come with me."

"You're welcome. Have to say I was surprised."

"You weren't the only one. I honestly wasn't expecting to ask you." He shrugs as he starts the car. "Ready?"

"Ready." Emma looks at him. "What would you have said to him?"

Dean backs out of the space and lets out a heavy breath. "I don't know." He waves to the security guard as they pull out of the lot. "I don't know if I would have said anything to be honest. I probably would have gone over and knocked his teeth out."

"Dean…"

"You shouldn't have to deal with that."

"And you should? They were talking about you too."

"Yeah, but I'm not exactly…"

"I'm not as sweet and innocent as people think I am."

Dean raises an eyebrow. "Maybe not, but you haven't done the things I have." He licks his lips as he glances over at her. "Not as sweet and innocent, huh? What have you done?"

She grins. "Like I would tell you."

He laughs a little. He rubs the back of his neck. "I wanted to apologize to you, Emma." He had planned on waiting until they were at least eating to bring this up, but he couldn't stop himself from saying that.

"Apologize? For what?"

"The gym yesterday. I had no right to talk to you like that. I was just…"

"Grumpy."

He snorts. "Yeah, something like that." He sighs. "But seriously. I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just…" He looks over at her when he stops at a stop light. "I don't know. It's been a rough few weeks."

"I'm sorry about the breakup."

He shakes his head. "It was more than a breakup."

She frowns. "Oh, well I'm sorry." She watches him. "Want to talk about it?"

"Nothing really to talk about. Caught her in bed fucking some other guy. She told me I'm worthless and I said some unrepeatable things back to her."

Emma watches him closely. "Weren't you seeing Nikki?"

"Brie, actually."

"Right. Sorry."

He shrugs. "Wasn't a forever kinda thing anyway." He growls, hating that he's pouring it all out to Emma. "What is it about you, Emma? I don't talk about any of this shit with anyone. But here I am…" He taps his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. "I don't know what it is about you, Emma."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Emma looks across the booth at Dean. They hadn't said much since they'd arrived at the restaurant and she isn't sure what to even say right now. Dean looks like he's trying to figure out his own thoughts at the moment and Emma doesn't want to interrupt. When Dean finally looks at her, she smiles.

"I um…" Dean clears his throat. "You confuse me, Emma."

She frowns a little. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't talked to anyone but Roman and Seth about what I've already thrown out at you." He shrugs. "And I don't know why. But it's like I can't stop myself from talking to you."

She grins. "That's not a bad thing, Dean. Actually means you trust me in some way." She isn't really surprised to see Dean frown at that. "Look, if you're worried about something you say getting out, don't. What is said between us stays between us."

He sighs. "I'm not good at this."

"At what?"

"Talking about my feelings. I can yell like there's no tomorrow. I can cut promos that have people staring going 'oh shit.' But this?" He gestures between himself and Emma. "The sharing feelings or whatever? No, I just don't do it."

She smiles. "Maybe you should start." Reaching across the table, she takes Dean's hand. She can feel him tense up the moment she touches him but doesn't let go. "Relax, Dean."

He looks at her. "Emma…"

"Tell me one thing and I'll let go."

He frowns. "What? What one thing?"

"Something personal about you that no one or very few people know."

He shrugs. "I…"

"Okay, then answer this. You keep saying you aren't the relationship type. Have you ever been in a real relationship and how long did it last?"

He frowns even more. "Emma, this is ridiculous."

"It's not. If you don't answer, then I'll just keep holding your hand."

"No… yes… kind of." He groans. "Yeah, kinda when I was in the indies. Was seeing this girl for about six months."

"What happened?"

"You said you would let go."

"What happened?" Emma repeats.

"She was fucking psycho." He pulls his hand off the table the moment Emma releases her hold on him.

"Now was that so hard? Progress, Dean." She smiles when he mumbles something. "My longest relationship was two years."

"Two years?"

She nods. "Was back home in Melbourne. He even traveled with me when I came here to wrestle." She smiles a little. "He left me when I went in for my shoulder surgery."

Dean frowns at that. "What kind of jackass does that?" He shakes his head. "You don't deserve that."

She smiles at him. "See, you do have a softer side."

He laughs softly. "Don't go letting everyone know." He winks at her. He sits back when their server walks over.

"Can I get you two anything else?"

Dean looks at Emma who shakes her head. "No, I think we're okay."

"All right." She sets the check down in front of Dean, smiling at him. "Whenever you're ready."

"Thanks." He doesn't pay attention to the waitress walking away, but Emma catches the way she adds an extra swing into her hips. Dean raises an eyebrow when Emma giggles. "What are you laughing about?"

She licks her lips. "She was flirting with you."

He frowns as he grabs the check. "She was not."

"She was. She even added an extra swing to her hips when she walked away." She pulls her wallet out of her purse. "How much do I owe?"

"I think you're nuts. She was not." He shakes his head. "Not a thing. It's on me."

She frowns a little. "You sure?"

He nods. "Yeah." He's getting ready to set the booklet down again when the waitress returns.

"I'll be right back." She smiles as she walks away.

"Did you see it?" Emma asks.

"See what?" Dean asks looking at Emma once again. He raises an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you that she's flirting with you. You're oblivious to it. What I find funny about it is the fact that you're here with me. How does she know we aren't together?"

Dean shrugs. "Not paying attention to her so no clue." He looks up when she returns once again, setting the booklet down.

"Top copy is mine, the rest is yours."

"Thanks." He takes the booklet. He signs the top copy before pulling the other copy out along with his card. He shoves his wallet back into his pocket. "Ready?"

Emma nods. "Whenever you are."

Dean walks Emma to her hotel room door and frowns when not only does he see the 'do not disturb' sign hanging on the knob, but when he hears the moans from inside. He looks at Emma and raises an eyebrow. "Well then," he says.

Emma frowns. "This is what happens when you room with someone," she mutters. "I don't even know who… Roman." She looks at Dean. "She came back with Roman."

Dean nods. "Why don't you come up to my room?" He looks at her. "Beats sitting out here and waiting, right?"

She smiles. "You don't mind?"

"Nope. Come on."

Emma steps into Dean's room, surprised to find Roman lounging on one of the beds. "Um… Dean?"

Dean walks in. "Roman, hi."

Roman looks over and raises an eyebrow. "Hi. Why are you surprised to see me?"

"We thought you were with Paige."

Roman frowns. "Paige? No, came up here when we got back."

Emma looks at Dean. "I can just go sit downstairs."

"No, you can stay," Dean says. He looks at her.

She looks at him once again. "Okay. You're sure?"

He nods. "Yeah. Roman, you okay with that?"

Roman nods. "Yeah. Just don't mind me if I fall asleep."

Emma grins. "Thank you." She sets her shoulder bag down beside her other bag. "Is it okay if I change out of this?"

"Go for it," Dean says gesturing toward the bathroom.

Roman sits up after Emma goes into the bathroom and looks at Dean. "So what's going on with you two?" he asks.

Dean looks at him as he kicks his shoes off. "Nothing. We went and had dinner."

Roman snorts. "Did you apologize to her?"

Dean nods. "Yes."

"Wow, that's surprising. Never thought I'd see the day that Dean Ambrose apologizes. Especially to a woman." He laughs when Dean glares at him.

"Fuck you." He looks over when the bathroom door opens. He licks his lips at the sight of Emma in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. He clears his throat as he turns away and walks over to where he'd left his shorts from the previous night. "Make yourself at home, Emma. Feel free to grab the other bed if you want. I'll be right back."

Emma looks over at Roman when Dean walks into the bathroom. "Did she say anything to you?"

Roman shakes his head. "No. She was on the phone most of the time when we were on our way here though."

She nods as she sits down on the other bed. She moves up to sit against the headboard. "I'm surprised she didn't text me or something."

"She do this often?"

"No, not really." She shrugs. "I try to stay out of her personal life because she's confusing."

"Sounds like someone I know." He gestures toward the bathroom. He watches as the look on Emma's face changes. "Emma…"

"I'm not an idiot, Roman. I know I don't have a chance."

He frowns as he turns to look at her. "Is that why you've been talking to him?"

She shakes her head. "No. He looked like he needed a friend that night and I just happened to be there." She shrugs. "It was my own dumb fault for everything else."

"Listen, the thing about Dean is…" Roman sighs. "Dean isn't the kind of guy who lets people in very easily. Yeah, he talks to me but I have to practically beat it out of him. Give him time."

Emma looks over at Roman. Before either of them can say anything else, Dean is walking back in. Roman looks at Dean. He's not really surprised to hear that Emma has some kind of feelings for Dean. He just hopes Dean doesn't break her heart. No, he's not the ass hole people make him out to be, but he doesn't always think before doing things either.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Emma is standing in line to get food when she feels someone step up behind her. She glances back, smiling when she sees Dean standing there. "Hey," she says.

"Hey," Dean says. "Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Wasn't scheduled originally. But Stephanie says she wants us to continue with the angle you guys are doing." She shrugs. "Haven't heard what's going tonight yet though. She told me that she'll be getting us all together to talk it out."

He nods. "So you don't know if you're in a match or not?"

She shakes her head. "No idea." She watches him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You just seem like something's on your mind." She watches as he finally meets her gaze. There's something different at the way he's looking at her, but Emma can't place it. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Just…" He sighs. "Still trying to figure you out." He grins as he grabs something to drink. "Roman's over there. You joining us?"

"Sure." She follows Dean over to one of the tables. "Hey, Roman."

Roman looks up and nods at her. "Hey," he says after swallowing his food. "What's up?"

"Nothing. You?"

"Not a thing." He looks at Dean. "Stephanie came over while you two were up getting food."

Dean looks at him as he takes a bit of his sandwich. "Oh? What'd she say?"

"Apparently they're going to be bringing up a couple NXT divas up."

"For us to help or whatever?"

"No. To go with the Authority." He gestures toward Emma. "It'll get her and Paige involved more." He shrugs. "All I know. Don't know who for sure. I would have to guess that it would have to be Flair's daughter." He looks at Emma again. "What's her name?"

"Charlotte," Emma answers.

"Right, Charlotte. I figure her, but don't know for sure."

"Well if it's her, it'll likely be Sasha Banks with her."

Dean looks at Emma. "They any good?"

She nods. "Yeah." She takes a drink of her sweet tea.

"Did you two feud with them at all?"

"Yeah, a little. And then add in Summer Rae with them and Bayley with us we've had a few encounters." Emma raises an eyebrow when Roman looks over at her quickly at the mention of Bayley. She smiles a little.

"So it could be them," Dean says.

Paige walks over before any of them can say anything else. "So guess who I just saw," she says as she sits down beside Emma.

"Who?" Emma asks.

"Charlotte."

Emma nods. "Looks like she's one of them. Did you see Sasha?"

"No, just Charlotte. One of them for what?"

"Apparently they're bringing up a couple NXT Divas to put with the Authority or Evolution, whatever," Roman says. "And that'll continue having you two involved."

"So basically they're putting us together?"

"Stephanie said she wasn't doing that. But she didn't say you wouldn't be working with us."

"Guess only time will tell," Emma says.

Emma stands in the back waiting for her cue to go out. The guys are in the ring cutting a promo on what happened on Raw. As expected, they're interrupted by Evolution. Emma glances over to where Charlotte is standing waiting for her own cue. It doesn't take long before the two stables are fighting, the Shield getting the upper hand. Charlotte walks out after another moment and Emma moves to get ready to head out herself. She can see the guys look at Charlotte as she climbs into the ring, giving Evolution the distraction they need to get the upper hand. Emma bounces from foot to foot knowing she'll be getting her cue. She sees Charlotte get involved in the action and that's when she gets her cue.

She runs down the ramp and slides into the ring. She grabs Charlotte's arm, spinning her around quickly and hitting her. Charlotte pushes her into the ropes and goes to clothesline her, but she ducks. As she bounces off the other ropes, she jumps and kicks Charlotte. She goes to attack her again, but Randy is pulling her out of the ring. It's then she notices that Batista is the last one in the ring and the Shield are surrounding him. Before they can do anything, Randy is on the apron and grabbing Emma's hair. Dean turns quickly when he hears her shriek and runs over, hitting Randy. This gives Batista enough time to get out of the ring.

Dean, Roman, and Seth all walk over to the ropes, yelling up the ramp at Evolution. Emma steps up beside where Roman is standing, staring up at Charlotte. The guys back up when Evolution reach the top of the ramp. Emma can see on the big screen as each member of the Shield places their fists in the center of where they are standing. She backs away from the ropes and turns to look at them. They nod their thanks to her. She returns the nod before climbing out of the ring. But before she can get do anything, Stephanie's music blasts through the arena. She backs up to the ring and watches Stephanie walk out.

"Well, it looks like we have an issue here," Stephanie says. "One thing that I don't like is when people stick their noses where they don't belong." She points at Emma. "So here's what I have. Emma, you have a match later tonight against Charlotte and her partner, Randy Orton." Stephanie gives Emma her famous smirk. "It's up to you whether or not one of those scumbags in the ring with partner with you. If they will that is."

Emma glances back at the guys in the ring to see them looking back at her. She lets out a soft breath and turns to see Stephanie and the others walking to the back. She gets the sign that they're finished with the segment and turns back to the ring as the others jump out. They all head into the back. Emma is surprised to find Stephanie and Hunter standing there waiting for them.

"Emma," Stephanie says with a smile. "Nice job out there."

Emma grins. "Thank you," she says.

"You three," Hunter says pointing to the guys. "Come with me."

Emma watches them walk away before looking at Stephanie once again. "I wasn't told who I'd be teaming with."

Stephanie nods. "You won't know until they're coming out." She smiles as she squeezes Emma's shoulder. "We want to make it look like they aren't going to come out."

Emma nods. "Okay."

******

Dean stands outside of the door with Roman and Seth as they wait for their cue to go on. He steps closer to the door to listen and hears Randy's music starting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next match is scheduled for one fall and is a mixed tag team match. Introducing first, being accompanied to the ring by Triple H and Batista. First, from Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte and from St. Louis, Missouri, Randy Orton."

Dean jumps from foot to foot as he waits for Emma's music. "Think she's doing her dance?" he asks softly.

Roman shrugs. "I'm going to guess she is," he answers. "It's Emma." He tries to peak through the window of the door but is unable to see the stage as Emma comes out.

"And their opponents, first from Melbourne, Australia, Emma." There's silence for a moment before the crowd start murmuring about whether or not the Shield will be coming out.

"Looks like little Miss Emma couldn't get a tag team partner," Charlotte taunts. "Guess this is going to be…

_Sierra, hotel, India, echo, lima, delta._ The doors open and the guys walk out through the crowd. Dean leads the way down the steps as he watches the ring. Just like they had been told, Lilian isn't saying anything just yet. It won't be until they're there that it's known just who will be teaming with Emma. Dean jumps over the guard rail and walks around the ring. He's quickly joined by Roman and Seth. He nods at them before jumping up onto the apron and climbing into the ring.

"And her tag team partner…" Lilian starts as she keeps her eyes on them. "…being accompanied to the ring by Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dean Ambrose."

Dean walks over to stand beside Emma. He nods at her as he jumps from foot to foot. "Stop staring," he mutters.

Emma licks her lips and turns toward Randy and Charlotte. "Sorry," she says. She looks at Dean again when the bell rings.

"I got this," he says with a wink. He steps forward just as Randy does the same.

The guys go back and forth for a time before Charlotte tags herself in. Dean smirks at her as she steps into the ring. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," he yells as he backs toward his corner. He holds his hand out for Emma to tag before he steps through the ropes. He watches as Emma and Charlotte lock up. He glances down to where Roman and Seth are standing.

Dean drops his head when Emma gets knocked down once again. "Come on, Emma," he calls out. "You got this."

Charlotte looks over and laughs. "Yeah, she really has this," she says turning toward Dean. "You see how well she has this."

Emma rams her elbow into Charlotte's back causing the woman to drop to her knees. Grabbing her hair, Emma pulls Charlotte back and slamming her onto the mat. She drops to her knees as she holds onto her left arm. Dean bounces a little as he holds his hand out.

"Come on, Emma," he says again. "Come on." He leans over as she starts crawling over. The moment she tags him in, he's in the ring. He runs over, grabs Randy, and pulls him over the ropes.

Roman steps over to where Emma is laying. "You okay?" he asks.

She nods. "I'm good." She shakes her arm as she stands back up at the corner. She turns her attention to the action in the ring. She can hear Charlotte taunting her from the other side of the ring. "Dean…" She holds her hand out.

Dean looks over and frowns a bit. But he pushes Randy toward his own corner before walking over and tagging Emma in. "End this."

She nods before running and tackling Charlotte to the mat. Dean watches her every move. He's surprised by some of her moves. He'd known she could wrestle, but he didn't know she had all these moves. He watches as she gets Charlotte in her submission hold. He glances over at Randy who's yelling for Charlotte to grab the ropes. There's no chance for her to and she's tapping out. Emma breaks the hold and stands up as her music starts.

"Your winners, the team of Emma and Dean Ambrose."

Dean climbs back into the ring as Randy moves in and is ready to grab Emma. He watches as Randy laughs. "Go ahead, do something." He can see Triple H and Batista slide in and feels Roman and Seth join him and Emma. It's no surprise when Evolution backs away and climbs out of the ring.

"This isn't over!" Charlotte screams.

Emma waves her back into the ring. "I'm right here," she yells back.

Dean smirks as he looks over at Seth and Roman. He walks over to Emma and raises their arms up as they watch Evolution back up the ramp. Seth steps up onto the other side of him, putting his fist into the center. Roman and Dean are quick to follow. Dean glances at Emma to see her doing her dance. He has to turn away so he doesn't end up laughing.

Emma shakes her arm as soon as they're in the back. She rubs at her shoulder and groans. Dean looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

"You okay?" he asks.

She nods. "Just landed wrong and then she worked it over. I'm fine." She looks over to see Charlotte walk over.

"How's the arm?" she asks.

"It's fine. I'll ice it before I leave or at least when I get to the hotel."

Charlotte nods. "Great job, Emma." She smiles before heading off.

Emma looks back at Dean and smiles. "When did you know it would be you?"

"When Hunter pulled us away from you and Stephanie earlier." He shrugs. "Lilian didn't even know."

Emma nods. "We make a good team, Ambrose."

He snorts. "Yeah, we do." He watches her for a moment, his expression going soft for a moment as she continues to beam at him. He clears his throat as he gestures toward her shoulder. "Go ice that. Good job out there. Going to go grab a shower." He walks away without another word. He rubs the back of his neck. What is he doing?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Dean lets out a heavy breath after he gets into the back after their match on the live show. Tonight they had worked with Paige instead of Emma. Dean isn't sure why they had it at a live show rather than on Raw or Smackdown, but he isn't going to dwell on it. He hasn't even seen Emma since they'd gotten here. It annoys him that he's bothered by not seeing her. He walks into the locker room and heads over to his bags.

"Why don't you just call her?" Roman asks as he follows Dean inside.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Dean looks over at Roman. "Even if I wanted to, I don't have her number."

"Because it would be hard to get it." Roman rolls his eyes. "You're miserable without her being here."

"I am not miserable." He leans down and unties his boots. "Am I miserable?"

Roman snorts. "I have never seen you like this before. What's going on with you?"

"I don't know. She's just… something else."

"So I've noticed. She definitely has something on you." He watches Dean carefully. "Look, Seth isn't back yet, so why don't you tell me what you're thinking?"

Dean sighs. "When I'm around her, I get this feeling I've never felt in my life before. It's dumb and annoying."

Roman grins. "Dean, you like her."

"I do not…"

"You do. I don't care what you want to make yourself believe. Bottom line is you're miserable tonight because she's not here. You're oddly happy when she is here. There's nothing wrong with liking her."

Dean licks his lips as he rubs the back of his neck. "I'm not the relationship type, Roman. I fuck everything up and I don't want to hurt her." He goes to say more but Seth is walking in. He looks away and goes to his bag.

"Paige wants to see you before you leave, Dean," Seth says.

Dean frowns but nods. "Okay." He grabs his things and heads to the showers.

Twenty minutes later, he's dressed and packed up to leave. He lets out a soft breath as he looks around the room to make sure he has everything. He slips his back pack on. "Going to run this stuff out to the car," he says.

Seth looks over. "Don't forget about Paige," he says.

"I won't." Dean walks out of the room and heads for the exit. He sees Paige talking with one of the other Divas. "Hey, I'll be back in a minute. Just want to bring this out to the car."

Paige nods. "I'll wait here," she says.

Dean isn't surprised to find a crowd outside. He walks over to where he's parked and pulls the keys out of his pocket. After getting his bags into the trunk of the car, he steps back and is ready to close the lid.

"Wait," Roman says.

Dean looks over. "Surprised I didn't hear the fans."

"Don't know how you didn't. They're screaming."

As Dean turns, he realizes the fans are still screaming. "Wow, don't know how I missed it."

Roman chuckles. "Mind is somewhere else obviously."

"Obviously. See you in a bit." He heads back inside and over to where Paige is. "Hey."

Paige smiles at him. "Hey, Dean. See you later Rosa." She hooks her arm through Dean's and pulls him away, laughing a little when she can feel him tense up. "Relax."

Dean pulls his arm away the moment they're alone. "What's up?" he asks.

Paige holds out a folded piece of paper. "Here."

He raises an eyebrow as he takes the paper. "What's this?" He opens it and sees a phone number written down.

"Emma's number. You have looked like a lost puppy tonight."

He frowns as he looks at Paige once again. She smiles at him as she nudges him.

"You have. So call her… or text her. Whatever. Just do something because she won't be with us for the next few nights. She'll be back Saturday."

"She okay?"

She nods. "Yeah, she's fine. Doing some appearances. Call her."

Dean frowns as he watches Paige walk away. He lets out a heavy breath as he looks at the number once again. "I'm not a lost puppy," he mutters as he shoves the number into his pocket and heads back outside. He climbs into the driver's seat and practically glares at Roman. "What the fuck did you say to Paige?"

"I didn't say anything," Roman answers. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Let's just go." He pulls out of the parking lot and heads toward the hotel.

Dean waits until he hears Roman's soft snores from the other bed before grabbing his phone and Emma's number. He licks his lips as he puts the phone to his ear and hopes that Emma will actually answer. But does he really want her to?

"Hello?" Emma answers.

Dean takes a deep breath. "Hi, Emma." He can practically see Emma's frown when she speaks again.

"Who is this?"

"Dean." He runs a hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me you wouldn't be with us for a few days?"

Emma laughs a little. "I didn't think it was a big deal. Not like we hang out or anything."

"Yeah, well…" Well what? She's right. They don't hang out, but Dean is pretty sure he wants to change that. "…maybe we should change that." Okay, he managed to get that out. Now what?

"Yeah?" Emma is practically beaming and Dean can feel it through the phone. "Does that mean we're friends?"

He chuckles at that. "Yeah, I suppose it does. So where are you?"

"Right now I'm at the airport waiting for my flight. I'm on my way to Seattle."

He grins at the way the city sounds with her accent. "Just you?"

"No. I'm going with Cody and Goldust to Seattle."

"So when will you back with us?"

"Saturday I'll be there. Probably won't be used until Monday though. Unless something changes between now and then. Did you tag with Paige tonight? She mentioned she was working with you guys."

"Seth did. Against Randy and Charlotte again." He glances over when Roman rolls over, hoping the man doesn't wake up. "What time is your flight?"

"Eleven-thirty."

"Wow, late flight."

"Yeah, but it's not so bad here. Not busy."

"That's always good." Dean licks his lips. "I hope you don't mind that I called."

"Not at all." Emma rests her head on the wall behind her. "Surprised that you did, but I'm glad you did. You sounds tired, Dean. Go to bed."

He smiles a little. "Probably should. Have to be up for an early flight. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Have a good flight."

"You too. Goodnight, Dean."

"Night, Emma."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay! Had a little trouble with this chapter. Hopefully you all enjoy it.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Emma walks down the hall toward the Diva's locker room. She's running late and needs to get her things into the room before going and figuring out what's going on for the show tonight. She waves to the girls before heading back out to the hall and heading down to the dining area. She looks at the sheet posted to the wall and finds her name.

"Hey," Dean says walking over.

Emma smiles up at him. "Hi," she responds. She looks back at the sheet. "I don't have anything tonight." She frowns a little.

"Emma…"

"No, it's okay." She looks up at him. "Can't be used all the time." She shrugs. "I'll see you later." She's about to walk out when she sees Stephanie walk in.

"Emma, just the woman I wanted to see," Stephanie says with a smile. "I don't know if you saw, but you aren't listed on tonight's show."

"I saw." Emma gestures over to the wall. "I was just over there."

"Well, don't worry. That was a misprint. You are definitely on the show tonight. You have a match against Charlotte."

Emma nods. "Okay, great."

"If you want to come with me, we can talk about it. Ambrose, you come with too." She smiles at Dean. "You can let Seth and Roman know about everything."

Dean nods. "Okay," he says. He nudges Emma as they follow Stephanie out of the dining area. "See? Nothing to worry about."

Emma smiles up at him. "Right."

After getting the plans for the night, Dean and Emma walk out of the office. Emma looks at Dean, not sure how he feels about this entire thing. She smiles a little when he looks at her.

"Sorry you're stuck working with me," she says.

"Well, if I have to work with a Diva, I'm glad it's you," he responds. He nudges her, laughing when she bumps into the wall. "Whoops."

"Jerk." She pushes him back. "So what are you going to do out there?"

"Don't know. I'll have to talk to the others to figure everything out. You okay with it?"

She nods. "I've never done anything like this before so it's interesting." She watches him. "You're having a hard time with it." It isn't a question. She could see the change in him when Stephanie was talking about what's going to be happening.

He shrugs. "I wouldn't say that…"

"Then what would you say?" She looks at him once again when they enter the dining area.

"I don't know." He shrugs again as they walk up to the table. "Just don't like…" He sighs. How was he supposed to tell her what he's feeling right now? He rubs the back of his neck. "I um…" He clears his throat.

"Is it because I'm a girl?" She watches him carefully.

"No… yes… no." He looks at her. "It's more than that." He sighs a little. "We're friends, right?"

Emma nods. "Of course."

"That's why." He looks at her. He hopes she'll drop it now because he doesn't know how much more he can let out.

"Do you worry about Roman and Seth like this?"

"It's different."

"Because I'm a girl?"

"No… yes…" He growls. "It's different because you're a girl getting attacked by someone bigger than me." He frowns as he watches her. "Can we talk about something else?"

She smiles as she nods. "Sure." She follows him over to where Roman and Seth are sitting. "Hi."

Roman groans. "God, she's bubbly," he mutters dropping his head to the table.

Emma frowns as she looks at Seth. "Um…"

Seth shakes his head. "He's fine," he says. "Just not in a good mood."

Dean raises an eyebrow. "Weren't you supposed to have Liliana this week?"

"Fuck off," Roman grunts. He sits up again. "Sorry. Just…" He shakes his head. "Went to pick her up this morning and the ex wouldn't even let me see her. The worst part is I could hear Liliana crying inside."

"I thought you two were doing okay?"

"Yeah, so did I." Roman sighs. "So what's on the card for tonight?"

Dean gestures to Emma. "We get to save her ass again." He winks at her. "She has a match with Charlotte."

"Do you win again?" Seth asks.

Emma shakes her head. "No… well, I suppose. Ends in a disqualification when Evolution get involved."

Seth rolls his eyes. "Naturally." He takes a drink of his water. "Are we all out there?"

"No," Dean answers. "They come out during. We come after the bell. Unless something changes." He sighs. "They've been doing a lot of that lately." He looks up when Stephanie walks over.

"Seth, when you're finished, we'd like to talk to you."

Seth raises an eyebrow as he nods. "I'm just about done," he says. "In your office?"

Stephanie nods. "Yes. Don't worry, you aren't in trouble. I figure if any of you would be in trouble it would be Dean."

Seth smirks. "More than likely. I'll be down in a few."

Dean looks at Seth after Stephanie walks away. "Any idea?"

"Nope. Guess we'll find out shortly."

Dean nods. "Guess so." He leans back after finishing his sandwich.

"All right, I'll find you guys somewhere." Seth stands up and grabs his empty plate.

Roman sighs as he stands up. "I'm going to go get ready." He walks away before Dean or Emma can say anything.

Emma frowns at Dean. "Is he going to be okay?"

Dean nods. "Yeah." He looks at Emma. "Just going to be a rough night. He's been battling Amber for a while now. And unfortunately it's Liliana who loses out."

"How old is she?"

"Um…" He wrinkles his nose. "Five maybe. Five or six."

"Poor girl. I couldn't imagine having to deal with that."

"She loves being with Roman. You should see him when she's here."

"He seems like he'd be a good Daddy." She smiles at Dean. "What about you? Do you want kids?"

He snorts a little. "I don't know." He shrugs. "Kinda scares me to think of kids to be honest. Didn't exactly come from a good home. It's not out of the question though." He sighs. "What about you?"

"Someday." She smiles. "I would love to have kids someday."

He nods. "I could see you as a mom."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He grins.

* * *

Dean leans against the wall as they wait for their cue to head out through the crowd. For the first time he can remember, he would rather be able to see what's happening in the ring. He lets out a soft breath, blocking out the sounds of the fans hollering at them from behind the security guards. When he hears the crowd inside the arena start booing, he knows that Evolution has made their way out.

Roman squeezes Dean's shoulder. "Ready?"

Dean nods. "Ready." He pushes himself off the wall before bouncing from foot to foot for a moment.

_Sierra… hotel… India… echo… lima… delta…_ The doors open and Dean walks into the arena. They quickly make their way through the crowd toward the ring. Dean can see Hunter setting Emma up for the pedigree. He jumps over the barricade and slides into the ring. He stares at Hunter as the other man pushes Emma away. He growls as he steps toward him.

"Try something now," Dean yells.

Hunter pushes Dean back. "Mind your own business."

Dean laughs before jumping onto Hunter. When Hunter manages to slip out of the ring, Dean stands up quickly. "Come on!" He drags a hand through his hair. He watches as Stephanie walks out onto the ramp.

"So you like getting involved in other people's business?" Stephanie asks. "Well, I'm going to make you pay for getting involved with something that doesn't involve you."

Dean grabs a microphone. "Go ahead, Stephanie. We all know what you're going to do. Your husband sure won't." He smirks when Hunter glares up at him.

"You'll find out later, Ambrose. But if your two buddies even think about getting involved during the match, I will _fire_ all of you on the spot." She gives him her famous smirk. "Have a good night, boys." She laughs before heading into the back.

Dean drops the microphone before turning to where Roman and Seth are helping Emma out of the ring. He hops out of the ring and over to where they are. He helps her down, keeping his arm around her waist as they head toward the back with Roman on her other side holding onto her arm.

When they make it to the back, Randy walks over quickly. "Emma, are you okay?" he asks.

Emma smiles at him. "I'm okay," she answers.

"You sure? I'm sorry about the elbow."

She shakes her head. "I'm fine, really."

He nods. "Good. And great job out there."

"Thank you." She looks at Dean to find him frowning at her. "What?"

"What's he talking about?" Dean asks.

She licks her lips. "He accidently elbowed me out there. But I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

She nods. "Yes." She smiles at him. "Really, I'm fine." She watches him as they start walking down the hall. "Dean…"

"Where did he elbow you?"

"Dean…"

"You'd better just answer him," Seth says.

She sighs as she points to her collarbone. "Here, but really…" She squeaks when Dean pulls her to a stop. "Dean, what are you doing?"

He looks closely at the mark. "Go get ice. It's bruising already."

"You believe me that I'm okay though, right?"

He nods. "Yes. But I also see the bruise that's forming so go." He taps her chin. "We'll be in our locker room."

She nods. "Okay. See you in a bit."

Dean sits down once he gets into their locker room. He lets out a soft breath. He's thankful that it's only Roman with him right now. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Roman answers.

"Is it normal to feel like this?" He looks at Roman.

"Like what?"

"She um…" He sighs. "Well, she's been able to make me talk about things that I haven't talked about with anyone. She makes me want things I've never wanted before."

Roman chuckles. "Sounds to me like you're falling for her."

Dean groans. "Why her though?"

"Why not her? What's wrong with her?"

"She's bubbly. I'm not a bubbly kinda guy."

"No, you aren't. But maybe you need that in your life. Just…" Roman sighs. "I'm not saying make a move or whatever, but don't push her away. She cares about you."

"I know. I care about her too."

"See? This is progress, Ambrose."

"Fuck off." He growls.

Roman snorts. "That's the Dean we know and love." He looks over when there's a knock on the door. "Come in."

Dean looks over, unable to contain his smile when he sees Emma walk in. "Hey."

Emma smiles at him as she moves to sit down beside him. "Hey back," she says. She leans back and settles the bag of ice on her collarbone. "They said I'll be sore but it won't affect anything. Said it would also likely look worse than it is."

He nods. "Okay. Have you heard anything for the tapings tomorrow?"

"Stephanie sent Joey in to check up on me. He said that I was scheduled for a match, but they're going to see how I am tomorrow. Did say if I can't wrestle that I'll at least be in a segment somehow."

Dean nods. "Well, just take it easy when you come out later."

She nods. "I will." She smiles at him. "I like that you're worried."

He frowns a little. If he could deny that, he would. However, there is nothing to deny. He is worried about her. "Yeah, well…" He looks up, sighing of relief when he sees Seth and Paige walk in. It meant he didn't have to attempt to explain himself right now.

"So," Seth starts as he looks around the room. "I guess now is as good as any to talk."

"Yes," Roman says. "We would like to know what the hell is going on."

Seth grins. "Well, I think you can guess really." His smile falls as he shrugs. "It's that time."

Dean and Roman share a look before nodding slowly. They all knew it would happen eventually. None of them knew who it would be and how it would happen. Emma frowns.

"Time for what?" she asks. "What's going on? What do you mean?"

"He means he's turning on us," Dean answers. "They're turning on us." He gestures toward Seth and Paige.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Emma watches the monitor, getting ready for her cue to go out to the ring where Dean is in a match with Randy. Along with the other members of Evolution being out there, Charlotte is too and has made her presence known. She swings her arms carefully, getting herself loose for when she has to go out.

"Be ready, Emma," Michael Hayes says.

She nods as she walks over to the steps, still watching the monitor. She sees Charlotte jump up onto the apron causing Dean to stand up from where he had Randy pinned. She flinches a little when he takes a chair shot to the back from Hunter while the ref has his back turned. She hears her cue and climbs the steps. She walks out onto the ramp before running down and pulling Charlotte off the apron. She spins the woman around and clotheslines her to the floor. She looks back into the ring, jumping back when she sees Randy standing over her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yells.

Dean spins Randy around and hits him. Emma watches as he tosses the other man out of the ring. He turns and stares over at her just as Hunter and Batista grab her. He quickly gets out of the ring.

Emma jumps when both men are hit from behind her. She sees Seth and Roman at that point. She moves and tackles Charlotte back to the floor. She grabs her hair and slams her head back onto the mat. She hears the bell ring, the match ending in a double count out. She stands up once again, pulling Charlotte with her and pushing her into the ring. She slides in and watches as the taller woman pulls herself up with the help of the ropes.

"Come on!" Emma yells. She sees Dean, Roman, and Seth surround the ring, meaning the members of Evolution have all been laid out.

Charlotte goes to get out of the ring, but Dean hops up and stops her. She screams and reaches back to slap him, but Emma stops her, shoving her into the corner. Emma holds her hand out for a microphone.

"They never said I couldn't get involved in the match," she says. "Every time you think of getting involved in one of their matches? I will be there. Try and stop me." She drops the microphone and slams Charlotte to the mat. She starts setting up for the Emma-lock when Evolution slides back in. She quickly backs away as the Shield climb in as well.

Randy pulls Charlotte up and they all stare each other down before they get the cue that they're off air. The members of Evolution climb out of the ring and head to the back.

Dean rests his forehead on the wall once they finally get to the back. He's exhausted and hurting more than usual. He pushes himself off the wall when Roman slaps his back gently. He looks over to where Emma is. "How's the collarbone?" he asks.

Emma looks over. "It's okay," she answers. "Sore, especially now. But I'll be okay."

He nods. "Ice it again tonight."

"I will." She smiles. "I'll see you later."

Dean nods again as she heads toward the Diva's locker room. "Hey, how are you getting to the airport?"

"Taxi, because Paige already left."

"Find us. We'll take you."

Emma smiles at him. "Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

* * *

Emma knocks on the door and waits for someone to answer. She jumps back when the door opens quickly. Roman chuckles as he waves her in.

"Didn't mean to scare ya," he says. "We're just about ready."

She nods. "I'm in no hurry. We're all on the same flight I think."

"Probably." He walks over and zips his bag.

Dean walks in from the back area and over to his bags. He gives Emma a quick wave before he finishes shoving his things into his rolling bag. "What time is our flight?"

"One-fifteen," Seth answers. "So we need to get going because there's going to be some traffic."

"Right." He slips his back pack on and lifts the handle on his rolling bag. "We ready?"

"Let's go," Roman says.

Emma is surprised to see how many fans are still around when they get outside. "Wow," she mutters.

Dean looks at her. "You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, just didn't expect to see this many fans still here."

He grins. "They'll be here until the lights go out. How're you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Exhausted more than anything."

He nods. "Want me to take your bag? I should have asked right away, sorry."

"No, it's okay." She smiles at him. "I'm good." She stops when the reach a dark SUV. "Do you always get SUV's?"

Dean chuckles. "Try to. Makes it easier when we're all tall."

She nods. "I don't have that problem." She smiles up at him as he lifts his bags into the back of the SUV. "I have the issue of not being able to reach things."

He takes her bags as he laughs softly. "That's what we're here for." He steps back to let the others get their bags in.

Dean looks beside him at Emma as they wait for the flight to take off. It doesn't take much to see just how exhausted she is. He nudges her a little. "You need to sleep."

Emma looks at him and smiles. "I will after we take off. I can't before then."

He nods. "Okay." He leans his head back, closing his eyes. It isn't long before they're taking off. He feels Emma shift a little before she settles in. He glances over after a few minutes, grinning when he realizes she's already asleep. "Sleep well, Short Stack."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Emma walks up to the reception desk when they arrive at the hotel. She can't wait until she's able to crawl into bed and sleep for a few hours before having to get ready for everything she'll need to do for the tapings. She smiles when the man looks at her. "Hi," she says. "I have a reservation."

"Okay. Last name?" he asks.

"Dashwood." She glances over to see Dean standing at the counter checking in with the other worker.

"I'm sorry, there's no reservation under that name."

Emma frowns. "What? I made it last week."

"How about a phone number?" He enters the number that Emma rattles off and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Dashwood, but there's no reservation under that name."

"Okay. Well, do you have a room available?"

"I'm afraid not."

Emma sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. "Of course not."

Dean looks over. "Em, what's up?" he asks.

"I don't have a room." She sighs. "Guess I'll go find another hotel."

He frowns. "No, you can't do that." He looks at the woman who'd helped him. "Is there a way I could add her to my room?"

Emma's eyebrows furrow as she watches Dean. "Dean…"

"Sure can," the woman answers. She smiles at Dean. "Give just a moment to adjust your file and you'll be set."

"Thank you," Dean says. He looks at Emma once again. "You can't be out looking for another hotel, Emma. You're exhausted."

She grins. "Thank you."

Dean opens the door of their room and steps to the side to let Emma walk in. He locks the door behind them before walking the rest of the way in and setting his bags down. "The sofa pulls out into a bed. I'll take that."

"No," Emma says frowning at him. "Absolutely not. You're doing enough by letting me stay in your room. I'll take the sofa. You take the bed."

He watches her. "I'm fine with it."

"So am I." She sets her bags down and slips out of her shoes. Squatting down, she opens her rolling bag to pull out her pajamas. "I'm going to go change."

Dean wakes up at the sound of his phone ringing. He groans as he rolls over in bed and grabs his phone from the nightstand. He glances at the screen before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Hey," Roman says.

"Why are you calling me now? I want to sleep."

Roman chuckles. "I want to, too. But we can't. We have to meet with the bosses."

Dean groans. "Of course. How long do I have?"

"We leave in an hour. Emma needs to be there too."

"Okay." He hangs up a moment later and sits up. He looks over to where Emma is still asleep. "Emma." He watches her jump a little but doesn't wake up. He grins as he climbs out of bed and moves closer to the sofa. "Emma, hate to wake you up but we have to meet the bosses."

Emma whines at that. "Now?"

"We leave in an hour. I'm going to go jump in the shower."

Dean follows Emma off the elevator once they get to the first floor. They head over to where Roman and Seth are standing. Dean gives a small wave. "So what brought this on?" he asks.

Seth sighs. "They want to start going over the turn." He shrugs. "Paige is on her way down. You guys go, I'll ride with her."

Emma listens as Joey goes over the basic plans for the next few weeks; the weeks leading up to when Seth and Paige turn. She glances over at Dean to see him staring down at his hands. She has to wonder what's going through his mind. Sure, she's shocked by the entire thing, but she and Paige aren't a team like Dean, Roman, and Seth are.

"We don't want to say exactly when or how it's going to happen," Joey continues. "We do want you three to be surprised. We will give you something before it does though. Any questions?"

Dean looks up at that point. "Why them?" he asks.

"Truth? They would expect you. We want to throw them off by having it be Seth. As for Paige? We like the way her and Seth are working together. And at this point in time, we can't see Emma in the heel role."

Dean nods. "So what happens when it does happen? Emma stays with Roman and I and Paige goes with Seth?"

"Not quite. We're still in the works with all of that." He looks at Emma. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Emma answers.

"Okay. You'll be good to wrestle?"

She nods. "Absolutely."

"Good. We've changed it up a little. It's going to be a mixed tag now. That way you won't have to be in there the entire time."

She nods again. "Okay."

* * *

Dean hears their entrance song start and the crowd cheer. He walks into the crowd once the door opens with Seth and Roman behind him. He starts walking down toward the ring.

"And their opponents," Lilian says. "First, being accompanied to the ring by Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dean Ambrose."

Dean hopes over the barrier and walks over to the ring. He climbs up and into the ring, glaring across at Evolution. Roman and Seth step up beside him as Emma's music starts.

"And his partner, from Melbourne, Australia, Emma."

Dean glances up the ramp, shaking his head at the sight of Emma doing her silly dance. He steps over to a corner, reaching back to hold onto the ropes and leans forward. He watches as Emma reaches up and flips herself into the ring. She smiles at him as she continues her dance. She walks over to him as those not in the match climb out of the ring. He nods at her.

"If we win, you dance," she says, knowing the camera caught what she said.

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Don't push it," he says. The bell rings and before either of them can make a move, Randy and Charlotte are attacking them. All he's really worried about though? Emma's collarbone. He doesn't want her injured further.

After Charles Robinson finally gets Randy and Charlotte to pull back, Dean pulls himself back up. He steps over to where Emma is leaning against the ropes. "You okay?" he asks.

Emma nods. "I'm good."

"Okay. I'm starting." He nods at her before she climbs through the ropes.

Emma locks in the Emma-lock a short time later. "Come on!" she screams. She pulls up more. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Charlotte lifting her hand to tap when she feels Randy grab her by the hair. She drops the submission and grabs onto Randy's hair as he pulls her up.

It doesn't take long for everyone to get into the ring and the bell ringing to call the match. Each battling before Evolution gets the upper hand and ultimately the last stance. The members of Evolution are standing over the Shield and Emma as they go off the air. Emma rolls onto her side, grabbing her shoulder. Even knowing what was coming, it's hard to prepare for everything. She hadn't mentioned how much she was going to be getting to Dean because she knew he would freak out over it. She lays there for another few moments before she shifts and sits up.

Dean looks over from where he's sitting and shakes his head. He knows she's hurting. He slides over to the edge of the ring and climbs out. He walks over to where Emma is now leaning against the ropes. "Bad?" he asks.

She looks at him. "I'll be fine," she answers.

"That's not what I asked."

She sighs as she nods. "I knew it was coming and Charlotte didn't do anything wrong."

"I know. Just wish you would've told me." He sighs. "Come on. Let's get you to the back."

"There's a little more."

"We'll talk in the back." He helps her down out of the ring, noticing that there's more than just her shoulder that's bothering her.

When they get to the back, Dean looks at her again. "You should have told me."

"You would have stopped it," she says.

"You're injured, Emma."

She stares up at him. "I'm a big girl, Dean. I knew what I was getting into."

"I'm not saying you didn't."

"Then what exactly are you saying?" She pulls out of his grasp. "Or is this going back to the fact that I'm a girl? Because it's so hard working with the Divas, right Dean?" She shakes her head.

"Emma…"

"I'm going to go shower. If it's not too much trouble, don't leave the arena without me. But that may be too much for you." She walks away before finally letting the tears fall; between her shoulder hurting and the way Dean reacted, she's surprised she held them in as long as she did.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Emma stands outside of the locker room she knows belongs to the Shield and lets out a soft breath. How can she face Dean after her outburst? She was ridiculous for blowing up at him like that. But like she's done before, she let her emotions get the best of her. She finally reaches out and knocks on the door.

"Hang on," the reply from inside calls. It's Dean, Emma would know that voice anywhere. "Shit." The door opens after a moment. "Hey." He sighs. "Come in." He reaches out and takes her rolling bag from her. "It's going to be a few."

Emma frowns as she steps into the locker room. "You okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, just hate dealing with hotel reservations." He looks at her. "How's the shoulder?"

"It's okay. Sore." She licks her lips. "I'm sorry about before. I just…" She shrugs a little. "Let my emotions get the best of me. I tend to do that. Especially when I start overthinking the situation."

He nods. "It's okay. I understand. Believe me I do." He sighs. "But at the same time, I worry. It's not because you're a girl. Well, okay, it kinda is. But it's not because I don't think you can handle yourself or whatever. I'm well aware that you're a big girl and can take care of yourself. But I've seen things that I still have nightmares over. And while I know what goes on out there isn't the same thing, it doesn't mean I don't worry about someone, a woman, getting hurt."

Emma stares at him. "Dean…"

"My sister's ex beat her their entire relationship. It wasn't until he actually put her in the hospital that she woke up and realized what that ass hole was doing to her. So I guess I get overprotective of those I care about."

She smiles a little. "You care about me?"

He zips his bag. "Obviously." He looks over at her. "Like you didn't already know that."

"I didn't. I mean, I know we've become friends."

"I don't let just anyone stay in my hotel room." He grins as he lifts his bag off the bench.

She watches him. "So we're okay?"

He nods. "Yeah, we're fine." He grabs his back pack. "I just really hope they give you a few days to rest your shoulder. Being out there is one thing, but I don't think any of us can take seeing you cringe anymore."

She smiles. "That's kinda why they did what they did. Joey said that I'll still be at the shows, but I won't be wrestling for the next week or so."

"What changed their minds?"

"I talked to them about it earlier."

He looks at her and raises an eyebrow. "What'd you say?"

"That it's bothering me more than I figured it would. Having had shoulder issues before I didn't want to chance it getting worse."

He nods. "Good. We'll ice it again when we get back to the room."

She nods. "Okay."

Dean locks the door behind him after he returns from getting ice. He pours it onto the plastic covered towel he'd laid out. "Is it the same shoulder that you hurt before?" he asks.

Emma nods. "Yeah," she answers. "I guess that's good, right?"

He nods a little. "Yeah, I suppose." He ties off the ends of the towel. "All right, sit up so I can get this on you."

She raises an eyebrow as she does as she's told. "What exactly is your plan with it?"

"Securing it so you don't have to hold it on. I've done this plenty of times." He gets the towel in place before grabbing the ace bandage and wraps it around. "Don't move." He walks over to his bag and grabs the tape he uses for his wrists.

"You're trapping me."

He laughs softly. "If that's the way you see it." He tears the tape off after he finishes what he's doing. "There, you're set."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He tosses the tape back over to his bag. "Should be good for a while." He sits down beside her. "You on the same flight we are tomorrow?"

"Probably. One?"

"Yeah." He looks at her. "You look tired. Get up, I'll pull the bed out."

"You aren't going to argue with me and tell me to sleep in the bed?"

He chuckles. "I figured it's pointless to argue with you right now. So you win this round."

She smiles at him. "You know, you aren't the hard ass everyone thinks you are."

He shrugs as he helps her to her feet. "Yeah, well they all see the one side of me when I'm at the arena."

She nods as she watches him pull the cushions off the couch. "Why are you like that the entire time?"

"I'm focused." He shrugs. "Everyone always assumes it's because I'm an ass hole who doesn't care. But that's not the case. Okay, yeah, I can be an ass hole. But I've had to be to get where I am today. Didn't exactly have it easy."

She nods. "I'm glad I get to see this side of you."

He glances over after he pulls the bed out. "Don't go getting all sappy on me."

"I'm not." She smiles at him. "Just stating a fact."

He gestures toward the bed. "Go on. I'm going to hit it too." He pulls the blankets down on his bed.

"Good night, Dean."

"Night." He turns to find her standing there. "You okay?"

She nods before leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Thank you."


	11. Chapter 11

**It was mentioned that Paige has only appeared with the Shield on a non-televised show. So here's a quick explanation. 1) I was waiting until Emma's injury to bring Paige fully into the mix. 2) The turn is still weeks away, so Paige will be in the mix before the turn happens.**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Dean leans down to tie his boots. This will be the first time in a while that he won't be working with Emma and he isn't sure how he feels about that. While she's at the arena tonight, she's not even going to be out with them. Instead it will be Paige working with them. It will be different than working with Emma. They have two different styles and Dean has to admit that he's looking forward to working with Paige.

"Ready?" Roman asks.

Dean nods as he stands up. He grabs his vest and pulls it on, leaving it open for now. "Let's do this." They walk out of the locker room and make their way toward the door that'll lead them up to the stand entrance.

It's no surprise at how many fans are standing around as they wait to head out. Dean drops down and does a few pushups. He hears Evolution's music start as he stands back up. He glances over at Roman who nods at him. Their music hits after a moment and the doors are pulled open. Dean follows Seth out and they head down toward the ring.

"And their opponents, being accompanied by Dean Ambrose, they are Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns."

Dean hops over the barricade and walks to the side of the ring. He jumps up onto the apron as Seth and Roman climb into the ring. He stares across to where Hunter is standing. When the bell rings, he jumps down once again. He glances over to where Hunter is now whispering something to Charlotte. A few minutes into the match, Charlotte jumps up onto the apron, distracting the ref. This lets Randy hit a low blow on Seth.

"Ref!" Dean yells. "Come on!"

The crowd stands almost in unison as Paige runs down the ramp. She grabs Charlotte's legs and pulls her off the apron. Dean runs around the ring quickly when Hunter stalks toward Paige. He steps in front on Paige, smirking at Hunter.

"Do something now!" he screams. He laughs as Hunter grabs Charlotte and they back away. He glances at Paige as they back away to the other side of the ring. He looks up when Randy leans over the top rope at them.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he growls out.

Dean simply smirks up at him. He gestures behind Randy. The moment Randy turns around, he gets superman punched by Roman. Roman stalks Randy, getting ready to hit the spear. That's when all hell breaks loose. In the matter of moments, the three members of each group are in the ring. Paige slides in when she sees Charlotte do the same thing. After going back and forth with her for a few moments, Paige has her down. She glances over to make sure none of the Evolution members can get to her before moving and getting Charlotte into the PTO.

When they get the cue that they're off the air, she finally releases the hold. She stares down at Charlotte as the Shield step over. She nods at them before jumping out of the ring.

Dean walks into the back, smiling when he sees Emma standing with Paige. He walks over, nudging the blonde gently. "Hey," he says.

Emma smiles up at him. "Hey," she says as she nudges him back.

He chuckles. "I'm going to go grab a water."

"Grab me one," Seth says as he passes by. "Gonna go shower."

"K. Roman?"

"Yeah."

Dean nods. "Paige?"

"No, thanks though. I'll see you later."

He looks at Emma when the others all walk away. "You leaving me too?"

She smiles at him. "Nah." They head toward catering. "How was it out there?"

"From my standpoint? It went well." He glances at her. "I missed your stupid dance though."

She beams at him after hearing this. "I can do it for you now."

"No, that's okay." He grabs a few bottles of water. "Want one?"

"Sure." She takes one from him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He gestures toward the hall. "How's the shoulder?"

"It's okay. I think having this week off will do me good."

He nods. "Good." He looks at her as they walk toward his locker room. "Any plans for the night?"

"No. Should probably eat. Haven't eaten much today."

He frowns. "Why not?"

"Just not hungry."

He frowns even more at that. "You need to eat. Come to my room. We'll eat and watch a movie or something."

"Okay." She smiles. "That sounds good."

He opens the door to his locker room and gesture for her to head in. He follows her in, walking over to his bag. He sets the water down. "Have a seat." He sits down after Emma does. Leaning down, he unties his boots. He glances over when he sees Emma rubbing her arms. "You okay?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'm just cold." She shrugs. "I've been cold all day. You think I would have grabbed my sweatshirt or something."

Dean reaches into his bag and pulls out his black zip up hoodie before standing up. He walks over and wraps it around Emma. She looks up at him as she slips her arms through and wraps her arms around herself.

"Thanks."

He nods. "You're welcome." He walks over to his things again and kicks his boots off. As he's sitting back down, he realizes that Emma's been different today. He looks over at her again. "You aren't your bubbly self today."

She shrugs. "Guess not?"

"Something wrong?"

"No, just been one of those days I guess." She looks at Dean. "I'm fine."

He nods. "Okay." He watches her closely. "I'm going to go change." He grabs his jeans. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be here." She zips the hoodie as she watches Dean walk into the back. She looks over when the door opens and sees the other two walk in.

Roman frowns at her. "You okay?" he asks.

She nods. "Just cold."

He nods. "Okay." He looks over when Dean walks in from the back.

Emma looks over, biting her bottom lip at the sight of Dean shirtless. She looks away quickly. God, what is she doing? She can't be looking at Dean like that. It's Dean. She frowns as she wraps her arms around herself again. She glances over, watching him as he grabs a t-shirt from his bag.

"You two joining us for food?" Seth asks.

"Nah," Dean answers. "We're just going to grab something and head to the hotel."

"Don't forget to sleep."

"Fuck you, Rollins." Dean snorts as he zips his bag. "Jackass." He looks at Emma as he sits down and ties his shoes. "Ready?"

She nods. "Yeah." She stands up, but has to sit back down when she gets lightheaded.

Dean frowns. "Emma?"

"I'm fine." She waves him off. "Just stood up too fast."

He walks over and rests his hand on her forehead. "Fuck, Emma, you're burning up. Come on, let's get you to the hotel." He grabs his back pack. "Hey, think you two can grab my other bag?"

Seth nods. "Yeah, go."

Dean nods. "Come on, Short Stack." He helps Emma to her feet. "When did this start?"

"I told you, I've just been feeling off all day." She looks up at him. "It's gotten worse though."

He rests his hand on her back as they walk out of the locker room. "Okay. If you need to stop, let me know."

Dean closes the hotel room door after they get inside. He watches Emma walk over and sit down on the couch. He sets his back pack down before walking over and sitting down beside her. He reaches over to feel her forehead again. "Where are you staying? I'm going to go get you something to change into."

"I'm staying with Paige. Next floor up. Um… 315."

"Okay. Don't go anywhere."

Dean walks back in with one of Emma's bags. He frowns when he doesn't see Emma where she'd been sitting. Looking over, he notices the bathroom door closed. "Not good," he says softly. He sets the bag on the bed. He looks over when Emma walks out. "Get changed and then get into bed."

"Dean…"

"You need to rest, Short Stack."

She nods. She opens her bag and pulls out clothes to change into. "What about your dinner?"

"I'll order something. Don't worry about me. Let's get you better." He points to the bathroom. "Go change."

Dean pulls the covers up over Emma a few minutes later. He watches her for a moment. "Sleep, Emma."

"What about you?"

"Going to call for some food right now." He grins. "You sleep. You won't miss anything." He pushes the lock of hair off Emma's face. "Goodnight."


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the delay. My weekend was busier than I thought it was going to be. Short chapter, but more will be coming!**

**Also, I have a poll up on my profile. Isn't related to this story, but would love to see what you think! :)**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Emma wakes up the next morning and rolls onto her back. She frowns when she realizes she isn't in her room. Pushing the covers off of her, she sits up and looks around. Dean's, she's at Dean's. She runs a hand through her hair as she looks over to see Dean walk out of the bathroom.

"Morning," Dean says.

"Morning," Emma responds. "Thank you for last night."

He nods. "No problem." He walks over and rests his hand on her forehead. "Still a little warm. Not as bad as last night though. Why don't you go grab a shower? I'll go down and get you some soup."

"Okay."

Emma walks out of the bathroom a short time later. She shoves her dirty clothes into her bag and puts Dean's hoodie on the bed, though she has no intention of returning it just yet. The door closes as she turns to comb her hair. She smiles at Dean as he walks in.

"Feel better?" he asks.

She nods. "If nothing else, I'm clean," she answers.

He chuckles at that. "Which is always good. They only had chicken noodle."

"That's fine. Thank you." She walks over to where Dean had set the soup. "And thank you for taking care of me."

He grabs his bag and sets it on the bed. "No problem." He watches her. "Paige is going to bring the rest of your things over. Seth is going with her and you'll stay with us."

She nods. "Okay. So we're driving to the next place, right?"

"Yeah. It's not far. Few hours." He zips his bag after getting everything packed. "And it may be easier on you. We can stop a lot easier."

She smiles. "Yeah, I suppose so." She takes a small bite of her soup.

"How is it?"

"Not bad."

"Good." He looks at her. "I'm going to start bringing things out to the car."

"Okay. Want me to help?"

"No, you eat."

She frowns but nods. "Okay."

It's almost thirty minutes later when Emma is climbing into the back of the SUV. She watches as Dean and Roman climb into the front seats, not too surprised to see Dean driving. He seems to be the one who does most of the driving. Roman looks back at Emma and smiles.

"How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Better," she responds.

"Good. Sure you don't want to sit up here?"

"No, I'm good. This way I can lie down if I want."

"Good point." He looks at Dean. "We need to keep her around. She makes sense."

Dean laughs as he slips his sunglasses on. "Remember that when she doesn't. Are we ready? Good."

* * *

Dean glances into the back seat to find Emma sleeping. He's not really surprised. He looks back at the road and lets out a soft breath. "She's sleeping," he says.

"Good," Roman says. "She's needs the rest. Did she sleep last night?"

"She tossed and turned a lot. So it was a restless sleep."

"Did you sleep last night?"

Dean shrugs. "Not much."

Roman frowns. "Want me to drive the rest of the way?"

"No, I'm good." Dean grins. "I got enough sleep. I'll catch a nap before the show tonight."

"You better. And then hope you don't catch what she has. We don't need the two of you sick. At least hers came when she's out for a week with her injury."

Dean nods. "Yeah, that worked out well." He pulls into the parking lot of the hotel. "Stay here with her. I'll go get her and I checked in. Then you can."

Roman nods. "Go for it."

After getting checked in and getting their bags into the room, Dean parks the car. He opens the back door and rubs Emma's leg gently. He hates to wake her but knows she can crawl into bed once they get into the room. Emma stirs and looks at Dean who smiles a little.

"We're at the hotel, Short Stack," he says.

Emma sits up and rubs her eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I figured I'd just lay and rest."

He grins. "It's fine. You needed it." He steps back to let her climb out. "You can crawl into bed when we get into the room. Going to catch a nap myself."

"Probably a good idea to continue to rest."

Dean grabs his bag that he needs for the night and sets it on the bed. He glances over to the other bed where Emma is still sleeping. She'd fallen asleep almost immediately when they got to the room. He hates to wake her, but he needs to; at least for a moment. He walks over and shakes her gently. "Emma."

"Hmm?"

"I'm leaving for the arena."

Emma rolls onto her back and frowns at Dean. "It's that time already?"

He nods. "I'm afraid so." He grins. "Stay and rest. You aren't going to miss anything. I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving. I'll bring you soup when I come back."

"Okay."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Emma smiles as she watches Dean pace alongside the ring. She can't help but find him interesting; especially when she gets to see the side of him that most people don't even know about. When she sees Stephanie joining Charlotte in the ring, she moves over to the steps. She'd only been out for a week, but she's thankful to be back. As Stephanie continues to talk, Emma's music starts. Emma walks up the steps and out onto the ramp, doing her normal routine.

As she approaches the ring, she swings her arm lightly showing that her shoulder is just fine. She smiles at Dean, Roman, and Seth as she passes them to the time keeper's spot. She takes a microphone and walks up the steps to the ring.

"How dare you interrupt me!" Stephanie growls.

Emma covers her mouth in a mock surprise. "Were you talking?" she asks. She climbs into the ring as Paige pulls herself up. "Whoops!" She rolls her shoulders. "You made the biggest mistake, Charlotte."

Charlotte glares at Emma as she takes the microphone from Stephanie. "Listen here you little…"

"If you're going to take someone out…" She steps up closer to Charlotte. "…finish the job!" She glances at her shoulder. "Seems you didn't do what you were supposed to and I'm back." She drops the microphone as she takes a step back and starts dancing around Charlotte and Stephanie. She backs away and hops out of the ring where Paige is now standing with the guys when Charlotte moves toward her. She holds her stomach as she laughs.

Dean isn't surprised when Emma continues to bounce when they reach the back. He laughs as he shakes his head. "Well, she's back," he says.

Roman snorts. "Because it wasn't obvious." He winks at Emma.

Emma beams at him. "I knew you three missed me." She looks at Dean. "I'm just glad you didn't end up getting sick."

He shrugs. "Wouldn't have been the first time if I had."

They head down the hall toward where they know they will be meeting up with Renee. After they finish up their interview with her, they go their separate ways. Emma and Paige make their way toward the Diva's locker room. Paige looks over at the other woman.

"So what's with you and Dean?" she asks.

Emma looks at her. "What are you talking about? We're friends."

Paige raises an eyebrow as they sit down. "Friends? With Ambrose?" She watches her friend closely. "I have never seen him just be friends with a woman before."

"So? He's not really as bad as people make him out to be."

"Ambrose?" Nikki Bella asks. "You're kidding, right?"

Emma frowns as she looks over at the twin. "What? Why is it so hard to believe that he's actually a nice guy?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just… you know about him and Renee, right?"

Emma shrugs. "Dean and I are just friends."

"Uh huh." Nikki shrugs. "Well, just don't cry to me when you find out real quick that it's not what you think. Take it from me." She tosses her hair over her shoulder before walking out of the room.

Emma looks at Paige. "What was that about?"

Paige shrugs. "No clue."

* * *

Dean puts his bags into the back of their rented van. He steps back and around to the driver's door. He leans in to start the car. He's actually surprised he hadn't seen Emma since they had parted after their segment. As he walks to the back once again, he sees Emma approaching. He reaches into his back pack for his phone charger. There's something different about Emma now. She's not quite her bubbly self.

"Hey," he says.

"Hi," she responds. She looks up at him after putting her bags in the back of the van. "Where am I sitting?"

"Anywhere you want." He frowns a little as he watches. "What's with you?"

"Nothing." She starts to walk away but Dean grabs her arm. "We should get going. It's a long drive." She pulls out of his grasp as she walks to the side of the van.

"Take the front," Seth says as he approaches.

She frowns but climbs into the passenger seat. She looks into the back to see Paige climbing in. She would rather be sitting by Paige right now, but it doesn't look like Seth is going to let her. She wrinkles her nose and turns toward the front again. She looks over as Dean climbs in behind the wheel.

"Everyone good?" he asks. "Great." He glances at Emma as he puts his seatbelt on.

It's nearly an hour into the trip when Dean realizes that he and Emma are the only two still awake. This is his chance to hopefully get something out of her. He glances over at her. "So what's up with you?" he asks.

Emma looks over. "Nothing," she answers.

"Bull shit. You can try to convince yourself of that, but I ain't buying it." He sighs. "Emma…"

"What's Renee to you?"

Dean frowns. "Renee?" He glances over. "As in Young?"

"Yes. Obviously. She's the only Renee we both know." She frowns over at him. "What is she?"

"Umm… nothing? We talk but that's pretty much it. Where is this coming from?"

"Talk?"

"Yes, talk. Emma…"

"Do you consider her a friend?"

Dean shrugs. "I guess." He sighs. "Maybe. I don't know."

"Like you consider me a friend?"

"What?" He shakes his head. "No, I guess not." He shrugs once again. "It's not often I take care of someone who is sick." His brows furrow at the thought. "In fact, you're the first. So, no definitely not the way I consider you a friend. Now tell me what this is about."

"Nikki…"

"Of course it involves Nikki." He sighs.

"Look, I know she's your ex. But she asked me if I knew about you and Renee."

"There's nothing going on with me and Renee." He rubs the back of his neck. "We talked last week. I was being a jackass before the show and she came to talk to me. We just talked. But if we did have something, would it matter?"

"Well…" Emma pouts as she looks at Dean. "I guess I would just hope we're good enough friends that you wouldn't have to hide anything from me." She watches him closely. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm being dumb." She runs a hand through her hair.

"I was talking to her about you."

Emma looks over at him quickly. "Me? Why?"

"Because you fucking confuse me, Emma." He sighs. "I just…" He stops when he hears Roman grumbling. He glances in the rearview mirror.

"We need to stop for food," Roman says.

Dean nods. "Yeah, okay." He glances over at Emma before making his way over to pull off of the highway.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Dean has managed somehow to avoid continuing the conversation they'd started in the van. It's not something he wants to talk about. He's never been one to talk about his feelings, but Emma has certainly found a way to get him to open up more than anyone else has. He just hopes she won't corner him and question him further. He's not sure what he would even say. He's still thankful that Roman had chosen that moment to wake up.

"Five minutes," a crew member calls from outside the locker room.

Dean looks up from where he's sitting. He nods at Roman and Seth as he stands up. "Let's do this," he says.

Roman squeezes his shoulder as they walk out of the room. They head down the hall toward where they need to go to head up to the top of the arena. Emma smiles as she waves at them from where she's standing. Dean gives her a wave as they walk by. He glances back at her and winks.

"Oh good," Stephanie says as she approaches the guys. "I'm glad I caught you three before you headed up. Slight change. We think it would be better if you just came from the back tonight."

Dean nods. "Okay," he says. "From the ramp or backstage?"

"Just backstage. The more we thought about it the more it made sense."

"Knew you McMahon's had to know how to think," Roman says with a slight laugh.

"I'll be sure to tell my husband to hit you one extra tonight." She smiles before walking away.

"Hey," Emma says from behind them.

Dean jumps as he turns around. "Fuck, don't do that," he growls.

Roman snorts as he looks at Seth. "We'll meet you over there, Dean."

Emma smiles up at Dean after the other two walk away. "Just wanted to let you know I will be getting power bombed tonight."

Dean frowns down at her. "Why?"

She raises an eyebrow. Is he really asking this? She thought for sure he would want to know beforehand. "I thought you would want to know. I mean…"

"No, not that." He rubs the back of his neck. "Why are you getting power bombed? Why is it always you?"

She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it when she can't come up with anything to say. She watches him carefully. "Dean…"

"Forget it." He sighs. "I'll see you out there." He walks away before she can say anything else.

Emma frowns as she walks back over to the gorilla position. She glances back but doesn't see Dean anymore. Charlotte looks over and raises an eyebrow.

"You okay?" she asks.

Emma shrugs. "I don't know. Are guys always so confusing?"

"I'm afraid so. Something happen?"

"I told him that I'm getting power bombed and he freaked out."

Charlotte nods. "You do know he likes you, right?"

Emma frowns at the other woman. "Doubt it. I kind of thought so myself. But…" She stops when she remembers their conversation on the way here over night. "I don't know. There are times I think so but then nothing happens."

"You know him better than I do, so I'm just going off what I can see. He's not exactly the kind of person to open up. Yeah, you've obviously gotten him to open up more than others have. But then something happens and it's back to square one, right?"

"Exactly." She sighs. "I just wish he would continue to do something instead of close back up."

"Make him." Charlotte sees Dave Finlay motioning for them to get ready. "I see the way he looks at you, Emma. He's just too stubborn to make that move. You may have to do that part."

Dean watches the monitor waiting for their cue to head out. He rolls his shoulders and lets out a heavy breath. He sees Evolution stalk down the ramp and surround the ring. Emma looks around at them before going back to focusing on Charlotte, but the three men had caused enough of a distraction for Charlotte to make her comeback.

"You better do something soon," Roman says.

"What?" Dean asks looking over.

"Tell her how you feel."

Dean turns his attention back to the monitor when he hears Emma's shriek. Batista has her by the hair. She grips his wrists trying to pull away. Dean practically growls as he moves into position.

"Seems to me we have a little something that has been helping the Shield to their victories," Hunter says. "Come on out, boys. We know you're back there."

Dean glances over to see them get their cue. He walks out and makes his way around the ramp with Seth and Roman right behind him. Batista smirks at them, still holding Emma by the hair.

"That's far enough, boys," Hunter says. "Seems to me we have a problem." He leans on the ropes. "So how about we end this?"

Dean growls as he steps toward the ring. He stops quickly though when Emma shrieks. "Damn it." He rubs at his collarbone. "Let her go! We're out here. You got what you want."

Hunter laughs. "See that's where you're wrong, Ambrose. What we want is a rematch."

Dean looks at Roman and Seth who are still in line with him. They both nod before they all step closer to the ring. Dean grabs the microphone that's on the steps and takes a step back to keep an eye on everyone. "You want a rematch? So you can be humiliated again?" He smirks up at Hunter.

Hunter nods over at Batista. The man drags Emma to the center of the ring and sets her up for the power bomb. Dean growls. Roman grabs the microphone from him.

"Name the time and place, Hunter, and we'll be there," Roman says.

"Payback. No holds barred, elimination match." Hunter smirks down at them. "It's too bad your other little side kick couldn't be out here with you. Then she could see what would happen to her if she continues to stand beside you." He looks back at Batista and nods.

Dean watches as Batista lifts Emma up. "No!" He flinches as Emma hits the mat. He slides into the ring with Roman and Seth just as the others slide out. "Fuck."

"Yours is coming," Seth yells.

Dean jumps down out of the ring. He reaches back in to pull Emma over. He lifts her over his shoulder with ease and follows the other two up the ramp. When they get to the back, he shifts to set her down. He keeps his hands on her arms to make sure she's okay. Emma pushes her hair back and looks up at Dean.

"I'm okay," she says softly. She backs away from him. "Thanks." She turns and walks away.

Dean frowns after her. "Emma." He walks after her. He grabs her arm, stopping her from walking any further.

She turns and looks up at him. "I think you need to figure out what you want, Dean. Because I can't take much more of this."

"Much more of what? Emma, talk to me."

"You keep telling me that I confuse you. How? Why? One second you willingly tell something but the next I can barely get you to say anything to me. Make up your mind on what you want, Dean. Because I can't do this anymore. So until you figure out what you want, stay away from me. What happens at the arena is different. We're working together, so obviously we'll need to be together. But outside of this…" She gestures around them. "…we don't talk."

Dean stares at her. "Emma, come on."

"No. Figure out what you want." She turns and walks away again.

"Emma!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

His calls have gone unanswered and unreturned. There hasn't been returned texts to those that he sent. The only time they spoke in the last two weeks has been at the arenas and it was always about what they would be doing for the shows. Emma would barely look at him and it has been driving him crazy. He wants to talk to her, but she won't give him the chance. How is he supposed to get them back on the same page if she won't talk to him?

Dean walks into the arena with Roman and Seth. He lets out a heavy breath as they make their way down the hall. Payback, the night they've all been waiting for. Dean's hoping that this will get his mind off of other things… Emma in particular. Not that he really thinks that's going to happen. He follows Roman and Seth into their locker room. He walks over to one of the chairs, setting his bags down.

"Have you talked to her?" Roman asks.

"No," Dean answers. "I've called her and texted her. She won't answer." He sighs as he sits down.

"Have you thought about what she said?"

He nods. "I just…" He shrugs. "I fucking suck when it comes to shit like this."

Roman can't help but laugh a little. "I know you do. But you need to figure something out. Because if you don't? Some other guy is going to snatch her up."

Dean growls at the thought. "Fuck that."

"Then tell her how you feel, before you lose her."

Dean rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah." He sighs as he looks at Roman. "How?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes!" Dean shakes his head. "I told you I fucking suck at this." He sighs once again. "Forget it. I'll figure it out on my own and probably fuck up."

"Dean, that's part of your problem right there. You think too much. Don't overthink it. It doesn't have to be as difficult as you're making it. You like her, right?"

"Obviously."

"And you don't want to lose her?"

"Obviously."

"Then sit her down and tell her that. You don't have to make it a big deal. You may have to explain a little about the fact that the whole relationship thing isn't something you're known for or whatever."

"She won't let me talk to her right now."

"So make her. She wanted you to figure it out. She wants you to talk to her eventually. But she's obviously looking for you to take control of it and make her listen to you. Before the show tonight may not be the best choice though. But at least try to get her to talk to you. Even if it is about the show. At least she's talking to you."

Dean nods. "I'm going to go see if I can find her."

Dean walks into catering and looks around. He spots Emma sitting with a few of the other Divas. He lets out a soft breath as he walks over. When Emma looks up at him, he gives her a small smile. "Hi," he says.

"Hi," she responds.

"I um…" He shoves his hands in his pockets. "Figured we should probably…"

Emma stands up and gestures to an empty table. Dean nods and follows her over. He sits down only after she does. Reaching up, he runs a hand through his hair. Emma watches him closely.

"You haven't answered my texts or calls," Dean says softly.

"No I haven't," Emma replies. "I told you to figure things out, Dean."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that when I can't talk to you?" He sighs. "Listen…" He looks across the table at her. "You told me to figure things out. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have it figured out?"

She nods. "Yes." She watches as he meets her gaze. "When you're ready to talk about it all…"

"Not tonight."

"I wouldn't let it be tonight. You have too big of a match."

He nods a little. "Yeah. And it's going to be crazy. Are you ready for it?"

She nods. "I think it may be the first time I won't get one of their finishers since this all started."

He chuckles. "It's possible. Just be ready for anything."

"I know. Paige is also ready."

"Good." He drums his fingers on the table. "So I um… I'll let you get back to the girls. We'll catch up with you in a little bit."

"Okay."

* * *

Emma stands to the side as she watches Dean, Roman, and Seth go through their normal routines before a match. She's not sure she's ever seen them this focused before. Then again, she's never been up here with them. She glances beside her at Paige to see that she's watching the men intently as well. She almost feels as if they shouldn't be here with them.

Dean glances over and Emma is surprised by the looks he's giving her. She's not sure she's ever seen him with this look. He turns away from her just as quickly. She takes a deep breath. How is she supposed to take that?

They can hear Justin Roberts going through the stipulations of the match before Evolution's music hits. "Introducing first, they are being accompanied to the ring by Charlotte. Weighing in at a combined weight of 778 pounds, the Viper Randy Orton, the Animal Batista, and the Game Triple H, Evolution."

Emma and Paige step into the small entryway so they can head out. Emma glances back at Dean to see him rolling his shoulders. It seems longer than it actually has been when Shield's music finally hits. The doors open and Seth walks out first with Paige right behind him. Dean nods at Emma as he steps past her to walk in behind Paige. Emma follows suit and feels the presence of Roman behind her.

"And their opponents, being accompanied to the ring by Paige and Emma, weighing in at 707 pounds Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, the Shield."

Emma jumps over the barricade and steps over to where Paige is as they guys climb up onto the ring apron. There's a short stare down before the bell rings and all six men are starting out. Emma glances over to where Charlotte is standing. It doesn't take long before the fight is spilling out of the ring and the girls have to move out of the way. Of course, Emma still has the question of why they're out here to begin with. But she wasn't going to argue. Besides, she liked to watch Dean, Roman, and Seth in the ring.

The minutes tick by and neither team can keep ahead of the other. Emma jumps out of the way when Randy and Dean trade blows. They both fall over the barricade. Emma flinches a little as she moves over to take a quick look. "Come on, Dean."

"Fuck off," Randy growls at her.

"Right back at you," she yells.

Emma walks around the ring when all six men are up on the ramp. She's shocked by all of the carnage. The crowd pulls her attention to where Seth is standing at the top of the tron. She watches as he jumps down, landing on top of Evolution and Roman. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Charlotte stepping toward them. She grabs both of them by the hair.

"You're mine now," Charlotte yells. "Do you know who I am?"

Emma manages to pull free from her hold and kicks her legs out from under her. Paige pulls her back up by the hair and throws her into the barricade. Emma pulls Paige back when she sees Seth crawling toward the ring.

"Come on, Seth," Paige calls out. "You got this."

Emma moves over to the side of the ring as Batista follows Seth into the ring. She glances over to see the others starting to crawl toward the ring as well. "Come on, Seth!" She jumps up when Roman spears Batista out of nowhere. "Cover him!"

_One… two… three._ "Batista has been eliminated."

Seth turns into an RKO and is down. Emma pounds on the mat. "Come on, Seth!" She claps when Roman breaks up the pin. She glances beside her to see Dean. He grabs a chair as he pulls himself up.

"Move to the other side," he mumbles to Emma.

Emma frowns a little but does as she's told. Dean hits the dirty deeds on Randy and covers him for the three count.

"Randy Orton has been eliminated."

Emma watches as Dean barely manages to stand up and pulls Hunter further into the ring. Dean cries out when Hunter low blows him. Emma covers her mouth. Batista slides in and spears Roman. Emma can see Randy pulling a sledgehammer out from under the ring. He slips it into Hunter. Emma flinches when he hits Dean with it.

"No," she says softly. She looks across the ring to where Paige is standing. Paige is focused on the ring. Emma looks up just in time to see Seth jump off the top rope and knee Hunter in the face. Roman then spears the man, causing him to drop the hammer. Emma raises her arms over her head as the bell rings.

"The winners of this match, the Shield!"

Emma slides into the ring as Roman starts to stir. She watches as he crawls over to Seth and then over to Dean. Paige joins Emma's side. They watch as they each pull themselves up, Dean hanging onto Roman. They get the signal that they're off the air. Dean lets go of Roman and falls back against the ropes. Emma frowns as she walks over to him.

"You okay?" she asks. "Dumb question, sorry."

He grins. "I'll survive, Short Stack." He slips down and slides out of the ring. He glances up as Emma climbs out.

"Looks like I get to help you to the back tonight." She looks over to see the other three sliding out of the ring. "Come on, crazy man."

Dean snorts as he pushes himself off the ring. Emma slides her arm around his waist. "You're the crazy one."

"That's obvious because I'm out here with you." She smiles at him as they start heading to the back. The moment they're in the back, all three men are sitting down at the nearest spot. They're each handed a bottle of water and congratulated on a great match.

When the other three men walk over, Emma and Paige step back and look over when Charlotte joins them. The six men all shake hands and talk a little. Emma watches as Dean tears the tape from his wrists.

Dean stands up after a few minutes and walks over to Emma. "Well?" he asks.

"You are insane," she answers. She can't stop the small smile that forms. "It was an incredible match. I am glad I was able to be out there for it. How are you, really?"

He shrugs. "Ask me tomorrow." He watches her. "We'll talk soon?"

She nods. "When you can think straight again."

"Good luck with that," Seth says.

"Thanks, Seth," Dean mutters. He shrugs. "I think I may pass out before I make it to the hotel."

Emma frowns. "You three shouldn't be driving. Paige and I will drive."

"I'm too exhausted to argue."

It's nearly one when they finally arrive at the hotel. Emma grabs her small bag before grabbing Dean's. She's glad she didn't have to have her big one tonight. Dean reaches for the bags but Emma pulls them away.

"No, I got them. Lead the way to your room." She watches him carefully. When he doesn't argue, she knows that he's not completely there.

They get into his room and Dean is immediately kicking out of his shoes. Emma sets their bags down. She walks over and pulls the blankets down. "Dean…" She turns to see him pull his shirt off. "Have you taken anything?"

"No." He looks over. "I will in a minute."

She nods. "Good." She walks over to the mini fridge and grabs a bottle of water for him. "Do you need ice or anything?"

"Not right now. In the morning probably." Dean grabs his shorts from his bag. "I'll be right back."

Emma sets the bottle of water and ibuprofen on the night stand before sitting down at the end of the bed. She wants to make sure he's okay before she leaves. He returns after a minute, tossing his jeans over toward his bags. After he takes the pills, he crawls into bed.

"Emma," he says softly.

"Yeah?" She looks over at him.

"Stay with me tonight."

She watches him for a moment. She knows it probably isn't a good idea, but she also knows that Dean doesn't ask anything like this. She nods as she kicks out of her shoes. "Sure." She slides up to the top of the bed. "Let me text Paige to let her know."

_Staying at Dean's tonight. He asked me to stay._

_No problem. I'm with Seth and Roman for the night. Figured it would be best._

Emma reaches over to put her phone on the nightstand before she shifts to lie down. She looks at Dean to find him watching her. "Sure you're okay?"

He nods. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just don't want to be alone."

"Okay." She reaches over, pushing his hair off his forehead. "Sleep."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Emma wakes up the next morning surprised by the heavy arm around her. She doesn't have to look to know that it's Dean. Who else would it be? She stayed with Dean last night. She just hadn't expected to have him curled up behind her when she woke up. She lifts his arm carefully and slips out of bed. When he stirs, she stops and looks at him.

"Stay asleep," she whispers.

"Kinda hard to stay asleep when I'm already awake," he mumbles. He sits up and runs a hand through his hair.

"Oh. I thought you were still sleeping."

He shakes his head. "Nope. Woke up like that and was afraid if I moved that I would wake you up." He watches her. "Thanks for staying."

She nods. "You're welcome." She licks her lips nervously. "Sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He watches as she turns to head to the bathroom. He can't help but smile a little as he lies back down. He groans when he moves, the pain from the night before finally setting in. He reaches over to the nightstand and grabs the bottle of ibuprofen.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asks as she returns to the room.

Dean looks over. "Sore," he answers. "Figured I would be." He shrugs. "You talk in your sleep, did you know that?"

She frowns as she sits down on the bed once again. "Yes, I know. Haven't in a long time though. What did I say?"

He grins. "Nothing too exciting. Though you mentioned something about a kangaroo and a wrestling ring. So not sure what that was about."

Emma snorts. "Who knows? I never know what I talk about." She looks over at him. "I should head back to my room."

He nods. "Okay." He looks over at the clock. "Wanna meet downstairs for breakfast?"

She lets out a soft breath. "I think we should wait until after we talk about everything before doing anything else." She watches him carefully.

"Then let's talk."

"No. You need to focus on tonight. After last night, you know it's going to be a big night. We'll talk tomorrow."

Dean sighs. He knows she's probably right, but he also doesn't want her to leave just yet. "Yeah, okay."

"You understand, right?"

He shrugs. "Does it matter?"

"Yes." She frowns. "Dean…"

"I get it, Emma, I do. I just don't like it."

"I just want you to be focused on the show tonight. So for now, don't think about me."

He snorts. "Easier said than done, Short Stack. Go on. I'll see you at the arena."

"Dean…"

"I understand, Emma. I get it."

"Just don't be mad at me."

"I'm not."

"Okay." She smiles sadly, hoping he'd beg her to stay. But when he doesn't say anything else, she knows he won't. "I'll see you in a few hours then."

He nods. "Thanks again for staying with me."

* * *

Dean walks into catering and is surprised by the looks he's getting. He raises an eyebrow as he walks over to grab a bottle of water. Seth and Roman walk over a moment later. "What's the deal with everyone?" Dean asks.

"No clue," Seth answers. He shrugs. "You talk to Emma?"

Dean groans. "No. I really don't want to talk about it right now." He looks over when he sees Emma walk in with Paige. He lets out a soft breath. "I'll see you guys in the locker room."

"Dean…"

"I'm fine. I just…"

"Hey," Emma says as they approach.

Dean sighs. He had wanted to make it out of the room before she came over. "Hi," he says. He takes a drink of his water.

"Anyone looked to see what's going on?" Paige asks.

"No," Seth answers. "Let's go take a look." He follows Paige over to where the paper is posted.

Dean looks at Emma. "Sure you want to be talking to me right now?" he asks.

Emma frowns up at him. "Dean…"

"Really, Dean?" Roman asks.

Dean sighs. "Look, I'm sorry. I just…" He shrugs. "I'm sorry."

"We're supposed to go talk to Stephanie and Hunter," Seth says as he walks over. "So we should probably go do that."

Dean leans against the wall once they get into the make shift office. He watches as Roman sits down. It's not often the big man is in pain like this. After last night, however, no one is surprised.

"Glad to see you three up and moving," Stephanie says. "First I just want to say congratulations again on an amazing match. That's a match that will be talked about for years to come." She looks at each of the five before her. "Now onto tonight. Tonight is the night."

The three Shield members each share a look. They'd known it would be happening, but they didn't expect this soon. Dean glances over at Emma, wondering what's going through her mind right now.

"Now, Roman and Dean…" Hunter looks between the two of them. "I know how much of a beating you two took last night."

Dean nods. "We all did."

"That we did." Hunter grins. "Think you can handle one more night?"

"What's it involve?" Roman asks.

"Chairs."

"You will also have the rest of the week off," Stephanie says. "You'll be kept off Smackdown as well as house shows until Raw next week."

"And Emma?" Dean asks.

"She won't get the same as you two, but she will also be kept off until you two return."

He and Roman look at each other. "I'm up for it."

Roman nods. "Yeah, same here."

Dean glances over at Emma to find her frowning a little. She looks over at him and he can actually see fear in her eyes.

"That's all we want you to know," Hunter continues. "We still want the when to be more of a surprise. We want real reactions. Seth and Paige, we'd like you two to stay so we can let you know what's going on."

Dean looks at Emma when they walk out of the room. "You okay?" he asks.

"You two went through a lot last night," she says softly. "How can you be up for more? And don't tell me it's your job. I know that. I'm in the same business you are, Dean. But I saw Roman's back. I was with you last night and saw you this morning. You're both still moving slowly."

Dean stops her from walking and looks down at her. "It is our job, Emma. It's what we do. If you've seen any of my old matches, you'd know that what happened last night really isn't anything. And I think the fact that we have the rest of the week off helps too. It'll give us that extra time to heal."

She nods. "Just… don't try to get take care of yourself if you can't."

"I won't."

Emma and Paige stand to the side of the ring when Evolution's music hits. Emma licks her lips, nervously because she knows any moment it's going to happen. She can see Hunter with the sledgehammer and Seth immediately slides out of the ring to grab a couple chairs. He stands back in line with Roman and Dean.

"There's always a plan b," Hunter ends.

Roman and Dean take a step forward toward the ropes. Emma watches as Seth lifts the chair, hitting Roman in the back causing the man to fall to his knees. Dean looks over at Roman quickly before turning slightly. He looks at Seth finally making a step toward the other man. Seth shoves the chair into his stomach. As he lifts the chair to take another swing at Dean, Emma steps forward.

"Seth!" Emma shrieks when Paige grabs her by the hair and pulls her back, slamming her down into the mat.

Seth and Paige share a look before he goes back to work on the other two Shield members. Paige stares down at Emma. When the Australian starts to get up, Paige grabs her hair and slams her down once again. She smirks as she pulls the blonde back to her feet. She quickly hits the Paige Turner on Emma before pushing outside of the ring. Emma flinches as she hits the floor.

It's several minutes later when she finally pulls herself up. She gasps at the sight inside the ring. She watches as Dean and Roman start moving slowly while Seth and Paige follow Randy, Hunter, and Charlotte out of the ring. Emma slides into the ring and crawls over to kneel between Dean and Roman. She frowns up at Paige who's smirking at her. It isn't until the others are in the back that she finally looks between the two men. She watches as they both struggle to get their feet. Only when they do and are leaning against the ropes does she stand up once again. She watches as they both look at her, by this look she realizes that there are cameras still rolling. They're waiting to see what she does. It's almost as if they're ready for her to walk out on them.

Dean looks over at Roman as they both drop and slip out of the ring. Both men look at Emma once again, each gesturing for her to join them. She jumps down and holds onto both of their arms as they slowly make their way to the back. She isn't at all surprised when they both practically collapse the moment they're in the gorilla position. She watches them, hating that they're both in so much pain right now.

"Is there anything I can do?" Emma asks.

Roman looks at her and grins. "No," he answers. "Thanks though."

Dean growls when he sees Seth walk over. "Fuck you, ass hole. Why the hell did you have to hit me that many times?"

Seth grins. "Business. Come on, let's get you two back to get looked at." He rests a hand on each of their shoulders as they continue to just sit there for a moment.

Emma watches as they finally do climb back to their feet. She steps forward, not sure they even want her near them right now. Dean looks over at her and she isn't sure how to take the look he's giving her. He turns and heads down the hall to the room where the trainers are.

Paige approaches Emma after the other two walk away as well. She tucks her arm through the blonde's and smiles. "I didn't reinjure your shoulder, did I?"

"No, not really." Emma looks at her. "Tingled for a bit though."

Paige nods. "Come on. Let's go check on them."

Emma frowns when she sees Roman's back the moment they're in the room. "Oh, wow," she says softly.

Roman looks over and grins. "Yeah, you're telling me."

She smiles sadly. "That's really bad." She looks over at Dean.

"He's not saying much right now," Seth says.

Emma frowns as she walks over to stand beside Dean. "Dean…" When he looks at her, she's surprised by how cold his eyes are right now. She's never seen him like this, not to her anyways.

"What?" he asks. "Nothing to say?"

She watches him carefully. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm great. My head feels like it's about to explode, can't exactly feel my back right now, and I get to try to figure out which you I'm going to get."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that for the last two weeks you've practically ignored me other than for what we have to do for the show. And then yesterday? I get the caring Emma after the match. So I don't know what you want. This is what I'm talking about. You fucking confuse me. You tell me to make up my mind on what I want. But I don't know what you want. You…" He growls.

"Dean…"

"One second I think we're on the same page and the next I've fucked something up. I'm not a fucking saint, Emma. I'm a fuck up. Ask anyone, they'll tell you. You… you are an amazing woman. And I'm just…" He sighs. "I fucking suck at relationships, Emma." He looks at her.

"Oh." She takes a step back.

"But these last two weeks without talking to you about anything but work? It's driving me insane. You asked me what I want. So you're going to get that. I want you, Emma. I want you to want me. You shouldn't want me because you deserve so much better." He watches her. "I want it to be you I fight with because I've once again done something stupid. I want you to tell me that I'm being a jackass. I want… oh fuck it." He grabs Emma's arm, pulling her to stand in front of him and kisses her hard.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Emma can't keep the smile off her face as she zips her bag. She still can't believe what had happened. Not only had Dean told her how he felt and kissed her, but he had done it in front Roman, Paige, and Seth. She lifts her shoulder bag up over her head before grabbing her rolling bag. She walks out of the locker room and heads toward the exit where she'd agreed to meet Dean and Roman. As she rounds the corner, she sees Dean leaning against the wall. She walks over.

"Hi," she says.

Dean opens his eyes. "Hey," he says. "Roman's out in the car already." He pushes himself off the wall. He lifts his back pack. "What are your plans for the week?"

She shrugs as they head outside. "Catch up on sleep." She smiles up at him. "If I could, I would fly home to see the family. But not really enough time to do that." She stops when they reach the back of the van. "What about you?"

"Not a damn thing. Resting, hitting the gym when I can move again."

"You going home to see your family?"

He grins and shakes his head. "No."

She frowns a bit. "Why not?"

"Because if I went and saw them now they would think I'm dying or something." He closes the lift gate after they get their bags inside. "So I'll head to my place and just relax for the week."

She nods. "Are we heading straight to the airport?"

"Yeah. Figured it might be best. So we could all get our tickets. That okay with you?"

"Yeah." She licks her lips as she walks around to the side door. "What's going on with us, Dean?"

He looks at her. "Look, I know I'm not exactly the best guy in the world. But I like you, Emma. You fucking confuse me, but it's because I'm not used to this feeling. I wasn't lying in there. I want you and I want you to want me."

"Even though you say I shouldn't?"

He nods. "Yeah." He shrugs. "Call me selfish but I don't want to see any other guy making you smile the way I do."

She smiles. "No one does, Dean."

He smirks. "Good. We'll talk this week. Figure things out. I've never been the relationship guy. But I want to be for you."

"Okay." She smiles as she opens the door. "You know, I've only been to Vegas for shows. Never actually seen the city."

"No? We may have to change that." He winks at her before climbing into the driver's seat.

Dean looks at Emma as they stand in line to buy their tickets. "What do you say to me buying two tickets to Vegas?"

Emma looks at him. "Meaning…?"

"Are you really going to make me ask?" He watches her closely and lets out a soft breath. "Of course you are. Pain in the ass. Instead of you going to Orlando, why don't you come out to Vegas with me? We can always fly out to Orlando later in the week too if you want."

She smiles at him. "Okay. That sounds good."

"Good, now will you two move up?" Roman asks.

Emma blushes a little when she realizes they're holding up the line. She steps forward and follows Dean to the counter. Dean smiles at her before looking across the counter at the man.

"Two for Vegas please." He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket.

"The next flight is at one-thirty. That has one stop. The next nonstop isn't until four-thirty."

Dean looks at Emma. "Is there a layover?"

"You will change planes in Atlanta. There's about a forty minute difference."

"Okay, let's go with that one." He waits until Emma's nod before looking back at the man. He slides his card across the counter.

Roman joins them once they've all gotten their boarding passes. "Flight's at one-forty. What about yours?"

"One-thirty," Dean answers. "Wanna go grab some food?"

"Sounds good to me."

Emma sits down at a table while Dean and Roman go up to get food. Of course, Emma had argued that Dean didn't need to get hers, but he wasn't having that. She watches the two men as she crosses her arms over her chest. She can't help but smile a little. It doesn't take long for the two men to join her.

"Thanks," she says as Dean sets her food in front of her.

"You're welcome." He lets out a soft breath as he sits down. "I can't wait to get home and just sleep for an entire day."

Roman chuckles. "Right, because that's what you'll be doing."

Emma frowns at Roman. "What else would he be doing?"

Roman snorts at that. "You're kidding, right?"

"Roman," Dean says. "You've seen me moving. Don't think that'll be happening."

"Yeah, ten bucks it'll happen before next week."

Emma raises an eyebrow and looks between the two of them. "You two are crazy." She wrinkles her nose when she realizes they're talking about her and Dean having sex.

"And she figured it out," Roman says with a chuckle. "Ten bucks, Ambrose."

"Fuck you," Dean mutters but nods. "You're on."

"Glad I can be a part of a ten dollar bet," Emma says. She can't help but laugh at the stupidity of the bet though. "Maybe I should never have sex with you." She raises an eyebrow at Dean when he stares at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah, you'll crack in the matter of hours, Ambrose," Roman says.

"You're cruel," Dean says. "Both of you."

* * *

Emma looks beside her as the seatbelt sign turns off. She can see Dean trying to find a comfortable position. Reaching over, she rests her hand on his thigh. "Anything I can do?" she asks.

Dean looks over and shakes his head. "No," he answers. "Just going to take some time to heal."

She nods as she watches him rest his hand over hers. "Not too long ago you would have tensed when I touched you."

He grins. "Yeah, I would have." He shrugs. "It's still weird for me to let you do that." He squeezes her hand gently. "But I'm trying."

"I know you are. Just don't close me out. You said these last two weeks have been driving you insane because we haven't talked outside of work. I say good because it made you realize what you want."

He nods. "I was miserable without you." He looks at her. "Have to admit it bothered me too."

"Why?"

"Because I've never let a woman get to me the way you have. It's like when you're around I have no control. Take that first night we actually talked. When I came after you? I would have never thought about doing that. But I couldn't stop myself."

"What about at the gym?"

He sighs. "You mean the falling from the pull up bar?"

"Yes."

He shakes his head. "I heard you and just lost all everything. The things you do to me, Dashwood."

She smiles at him. "I better be the only one."

"Trust me you are." He shifts a little and pushes the armrest between them up. "All right, enough talking. Let's get some rest before we have to change flights."

Emma smiles wider as she shifts and lays her head on Dean's shoulder. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah."

Dean holds onto the strap of Emma's bag as they walk through the airport to get to their next plane. He really doesn't need to because the place isn't very busy. It's simply an excuse, not that he really needs one anymore, to be near her. Emma glances back at him and smiles. He winks at her as they reach their gate. He leads them over to the seats.

"How long before the next flight?" Emma asks.

Dean looks over at the clock. "Shouldn't be too long," he answers. "Supposed to take off at four-forty." He looks t Emma once again. "You can sleep again when we board."

She nods. "It's the plan. Did you get any sleep?"

"No. Couldn't get comfortable."

She frowns. "Was it because of me?"

"No, absolutely not. A bit sore."

"Yeah, I'm sure you are." She smiles a little. "When we get to your place, I have some stuff we can put on your back if you want. Should help a little with the pain."

He nods. "Okay." He shifts a little and rests his arm along the back of the seats behind Emma. "You do know that Roman and I are just kidding around, right? I mean, yeah, okay one of us will ultimately give up the money. But it's not you."

She smiles. "I know." She leans over and kisses Dean's cheek. "You two are insane."

"Yeah, I suppose so." He laughs softly. "What's that make you?"

"Crazy."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Dean closes the door behind them when they get to his apartment. He flips the lights on as he passes the switch. "I know, there isn't much here," he says. He sets his bag down on the floor and walks over to sit down. "God, I'm exhausted." He looks over as Emma sits down beside him. "Are you hungry?"

Emma smiles at him. "I think you need to go change and crawl into bed. I'll come in and rub your back. Where am I sleeping?"

"You take the bed. I'll sleep out here on the couch." He wants to be in bed with her, but he also knows they need to take it slow.

"No, absolutely not. You are not sleeping on the couch." She frowns at him. "You need to be in a bed. Go change. I'm going to do the same thing."

He can't help but smile at her. "Fine." He stands up once again. "Bathroom is down the hall on the right."

"Don't fall asleep walking."

"You're hilarious."

Emma giggles before stands up and grabs her pajamas from her bag. She grabs her shoulder bag as she heads to the bathroom. After changing, she walks out and frowns as she looks down the hall. She's just about to call out when a door opens. She smiles at the sight of Dean stepping out.

"So what exactly is this stuff you're putting on me?" he asks as she walks over.

"It's a cream that will help with the soreness." She follows him into the bedroom. "Lay on your stomach." She watches as he does as he's told. She takes a moment to admire the man before her. He's perfect. She licks her lips as she climbs onto the bed and straddles over his thighs. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah." Dean turns his head to the side. "Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know." Emma squeezes some of the lotion out onto her hand. "I guess because I don't know what to expect from you." She rubs her hands together. "Ready?"

"Have at it, Short Stack."

She grins at the nickname as she starts working the cream into his back. She's careful not to press to hard. "If I push too hard let me know."

"I will. You can push harder than that though."

"Okay." As she continues to gently rub his back, she comes across a scar. She frowns a little as she trails her fingertips over the long mark. "What happened?"

"Barbed wire match gone wrong."

Her frown deepens. "Oh." She leans down and presses her lips against the scar. "Gone wrong how?"

"Well, it took ten minutes to get cut out of the wire. I'm sure you can figure out the rest then." He can't stop the moan that escapes when she presses another kiss to his scar.

Emma sits up once again and goes back to rubbing his back. "How many scars do you have?"

"Not many surprisingly. There's that one and the one on my shoulder. I have one on my knee too. I think that may be it actually."

"You're lucky then. I know you've had crazy matches." She moves her hands to his shoulders. "Want more cream on?"

"No, I think that's good. It's tingling."

"Good. It should be." She shifts off of him. "Roll over." She waits until he does before rubbing her hands over his stomach.

"Shit, that tickles."

She giggles. "Well, good to know for future reference." She wipes her hands on her pant legs when she finishes. "All right, you're good." She watches him carefully. "You should probably take something before you go to sleep."

"Yeah, probably." He starts to sit up, but Emma stops him. "Emma…"

"I'll get it. You relax." She smiles at him as she climbs out of bed. "Water? Or something else?"

"Water is fine."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Dean looks over when Emma returns a minute later. He watches her closely as he sits up to take the pills. "Emma, you're still nervous."

She nods slowly. "Yeah, I suppose I am."

"You don't have to be. Are you afraid I'm going to do something?"

"No. I know you wouldn't." She shrugs. "I um…" She sighs as sits down on the bed. "Last night you asked me to stay. When I woke up, I was in your arms." She watches him for a moment. "I have never felt so safe, so comfortable in my life. You make me feel things that I never thought possible." She lets out a soft breath. "Can I sleep in here? In your arms?"

He smiles and nods. "Of course you can." He shifts onto his side. "Come 'ere."

She grins as she moves to lie down, facing him. She scoots closer as he slides his arms around her. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I wanted you in my arms tonight. I just wasn't sure how you would feel about that." He kisses her. "Goodnight, Short Stack."

"Goodnight, Grumpy."

* * *

Emma wakes up several hours later when a phone rings. She groans, knowing it isn't hers. "Dean." She reaches behind her and pushes at Dean. "Dean, phone."

"Answer it," he mumbles.

"It's yours."

"Huh?"

"Your phone!"

"Fuck." Dean sits up and grabs his phone from the nightstand. "Hello?"

Emma rolls over and watches Dean. She frowns at the light bruises on his back but knows that it could have been much worse. She scoots closer and trails her fingertips over the bruises. He glances back at her, smiling softly. She returns the smile. He hangs up a few moments later. He sets his phone down and turns to lie down again. He wraps his arms around Emma and pulls her close.

"Everything okay?" Emma asks.

"Yeah. Seth just wanted to check on me." He kisses Emma's forehead. "Fucker couldn't wait until a decent time to call."

"What time is it?"

"Ten."

"Well…"

"Yeah, whatever." He smiles at her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." He leans into Emma's touch when she rests her hand on his cheek. "Sore. Don't think I'll be doing much of anything today."

She nods. "You shouldn't. We'll just lay around." She curls her fingers, smiling at the feeling of his stubble against her fingertips. "I like the scruff."

"Yeah? Maybe I won't shave today then."

"Good." She leans in and kisses him softly. "I'm going to get a quick workout in and then shower."

Dean frowns. "Why? We were sleeping."

"I know, but if I go back to sleep now I won't want to get up."

"And the problem?"

Emma smiles. "You can stay in bed all day if you want."

"Well what's the fun in that?" He sighs. "Fine, leave me."

"So dramatic, Grumpy." She giggles when he kisses her at that. "Dean!"

He smiles against her lips. "Go on. The other bedroom has some workout equipment in there. Not much, but I like to have a few things here. I'm going to go shower."

"Okay." She smiles when he kisses her again. She slides her hand back into his hair. "We've both gone far."

"Looks that way." He kisses her one last time before pulling back. "Go before I can't let you go."

She smiles. "I'll just do a quick workout. After I shower I'll make lunch." She climbs out of bed and heads to the living room to grab her workout clothes. She can't keep the smile off her face. Maybe Dean will feel better tomorrow so they can go out and run in the spot she's heard him telling Seth and Roman about. She would love to see the open space. For now she'll enjoy the simple workout she'll get here.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Dean looks up at Emma as he ties his shoes. He knows that she's still worried that he's not ready to start his daily workout routine. But he just hopes that she'll trust him enough to start. He's not dumb enough to continue if he starts hurting. He grabs his hat and puts it on, the brim backwards. Emma watches as he stands up and stretches his legs.

"If it's too much, don't push it," she says.

Dean smiles at her. "I won't," he says. "You just have to give me time for everything to loosen up."

"Okay." She nods. " All right, let's go." She watches as he grabs his keys and sunglasses.

When Dean pulls to a stop in a deserted area, Emma looks around. She isn't sure whether she would be amazed the how open it is or if she should be nervous. She looks over at Dean who smiles at her.

"It's a good run out here," Dean says. "Not just flat land." He climbs out of the car.

Emma follows suit and looks around. She can't help the smile as she looks across the rocky surface. This is definitely a good place to get a good run in. She looks over at Dean when he moves to stand next to her. "If you want to go faster than me, go for it. Just remember to be careful. I don't know how fast you usually go, but don't think you have to stay with me if you're faster."

He nods as they stretch out their legs. "Okay. Just don't get lost if we do get separated."

She grins. "I won't." She squats down before jumping a few times. "So enlighten me on the path." She listens and watches Dean pointing to a few different spots. She nods when he finishes. "Okay."

"If all else fails, yell."

She smiles up at him. "Sounds good. Lead the way."

Dean glances at her a short time later. "Sure it's okay if I go ahead?"

"Yes. Go." She smiles as she watches him speed up slightly. If she could, she would sit off to the side and simply watch him. She has to wonder if the fans know how much he does in his workouts. She's heard the talk about him. He was the lone member in the Shield who didn't have the tightened muscles. Roman and Seth definitely had those. But Dean is toned.

Emma frowns when she sees Dean sitting on the ground as she approaches. She stops by him. "Are you okay?" she asks.

Dean looks up at her and smiles. "Yeah. Just needed to rest for a moment." He stands back up. "Also kinda wanted to make sure you didn't get lost."

She grins. "Thanks, Grumpy."

"No problem, Short Stack." He taps her chin.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah. A little sore, but I'm good." He watches her for a moment. "I think I'm done for today though." He wants to continue, but he knows he shouldn't. He knows that if he pushes himself anymore he could hurt himself worse.

Emma nods. "Okay. We can head back."

He shakes his head. "You don't have to. You can finish."

"No, it's okay." She shrugs. "I feel good." She wrinkles her nose when Dean wraps his arms around her. "You're lucky I'm just as gross as you are right now."

He laughs softly before giving her a quick kiss. "And if you weren't?"

"We would have some issues."

"Oh really? And what would you do to me, Miss Dashwood?"

She watches him carefully. "I guess you won't know until it happens, Mr. Ambrose." She rests her hands on the sides of his neck. "Come on. Let's go. We'll get showered and I'll make you lunch." She smiles as he takes a step back. They walk back toward the car, hand in hand.

Emma is just finishing getting their lunches together when Dean comes into the kitchen. She smiles at him. "Nice shower?" she asks.

"Yeah," he answers. "Hey, think you can put that shit on my back again?"

She nods. "Now?"

"We can wait until after lunch." He grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Water?"

"Yes, please." She sets their plates on the table before sitting down. She watches Dean sit down beside her. "How're you feeling?"

"Not too bad. A little sore. Not as bad as I figured though."

"Okay. Just take it easy the rest of the day."

"I will." He looks at her. "Wanna head to Florida Friday?"

She smiles. "You wouldn't mind?"

"No, not at all. Told you we could head out there too. Figure you'd want to get some new clothes too."

"Yeah, it would be nice. Just know that I don't live alone."

Dean frowns. "You don't live with some guy, do you?"

"No." She can't help but smile a little. "Would that be a problem if I did?"

He shrugs. "I wouldn't like it, but up until recently I didn't have you." He watches her. "I don't share, Emma."

"Me neither. I live with Bayley and Paige."

He nods. "Okay."

"I have male friends, Dean. And I know you have female friends. But I promise you that it's nothing more than that."

He meets her gaze. "Nothing more than friends on my side either."

She nods. "Can I ask you about Renee?"

He raises an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"I know you said that you were just talking to her. But has there ever been anything there?"

"Well…" He sighs as he grabs his water. "…guess it depends on what you mean."

She frowns. "Okay, what does that mean?"

"We kissed once." He watches her. "We both pulled away laughing. It was just weird."

"Anyone I need to know about?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. You know about Nikki. If you're talking about the stories you've more than likely heard. Yes, I have slept with more women than I would like to admit. But there's no chance of anything happening with any of them. It was all about just getting laid."

"And now?"

"If all I wanted was to fuck you it would have happened already." He frowns. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that."

She smiles a little. "It's okay."

"What about you?"

She blushes and ducks her head. "I haven't been with anyone since my ex."

Dean reaches over and lifts her face again. "Nothing wrong with that." He leans over and kisses her softly. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

She smiles. "Thank you for wanting a chance." She kisses him again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry for the delay! Things have been hectic for me and I haven't been able to write as much lately. Hopefully that'll change now. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Twenty**

Dean glances over at Emma when he hears her muttering in her sleep. He can't help but smile when he hears his name. Even in her sleep he loves the way she says his name. But then he hears something he doesn't expect; and hopes the others around them don't hear it.

"Make love to me, Dean," Emma mutters.

Dean reaches over and takes Emma's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "Emma," he says softly. He leans over and kisses Emma's temple. "Emma, wake up." He smiles when she shifts.

"Are we here?" she asks softly.

"No." He pulls back and looks at her. "You were talking in your sleep and I don't think everyone would want to hear where you were headed."

She frowns at him. "Where I was headed? What are you talking about?" She runs a hand through her hair. "What did I say?"

Leaning over, Dean whispers into her ear. "Make love to me, Dean." He grins at her gasp. "I don't think anyone else heard it though." He pulls back and watches her closely, wondering if that's what she really wants or if it was simply a dream. "Is that what you want?"

She looks over at him and lets out a soft breath. She shrugs. "Well…"

"Look, Emma, we talked about this. We can take this as slow as you want. So if you want to wait, I'm fine with that."

"Can we not talk about this here?"

Dean nods. "Yeah, of course." He lifts their intertwined hands and kisses the back of hers.

Emma sets her bags down in front of her dresser before looking at Dean. She watches as he sets his bags down. "Not as big as your room," she says softly.

Dean smiles. "Well, you also have a lot more here."

"True. But up until recently I was here a lot more." She sits down on the end of the bed. "Dean…" She looks up at him when he moves to stand in front of her. "You always told me that I confuse you. Well, you make me nervous. Not in a bad way, but you do. I haven't been with anyone since my ex." She takes a deep breath as Dean sits down beside her. "It's been a long time and I don't know what I'm doing."

Dean nods. "Neither do I, Emma. There was a girl back in the indies when I was nineteen. We kinda had a relationship. But after her, I gave that up and just went for what I wanted. I know that makes me sound horrible, but I never let any of them think otherwise. With Brie…" He sighs. "It wasn't supposed to be anything more than just having some fun. But it did get to a little more. Her doing, not mine." He looks at Emma. "But I've never been the relationship kinda guy."

"Then what are we doing, Dean?"

"You make me want to be that kinda guy. You make me want to be a better man. The man that you deserve. Look at me, Emma. I'm an ass hole. Why should you want me? I want you to want me. And I'm glad you want me. But I'm not an idiot. You deserve so much better than me." He looks down at his hands. "It wouldn't surprise me if all this ended up being some huge ass dream."

"It's not a dream, Dean." She shifts so she can face him. "And you are an amazing man." Reaching over, she takes his hand. "I don't think I've ever met someone who cares about those around him more than you. You aren't the hard ass that everyone thinks you are." She licks her lips as she pulls Dean's hand over to link her fingers together around it. "If I told you that I didn't want to wait anymore…?"

He looks at her again. "If you're changing your mind because you think it's what I want…"

"No, Dean, I'm not." She looks down at their hands. "I just don't want you changing your mind about me."

"That's never going to happen." He leans over and kisses her cheek. "You say stop and I stop."

She turns her head to let him kiss her. She whimpers at the forcefulness behind it as she wraps her arms around him. He shifts, bringing one knee up onto the bed. Emma slides up to the top of the bed as Dean follows suit, never breaking the kiss. She slides her hands down his back and drags his shirt up. He pulls up to let her pull it off.

"I'm nervous," Emma says softly. She licks her lips as she slides her hands up and down Dean's back. She hadn't wanted to admit that, but she couldn't stop herself from letting it spill out.

"Just remember you can tell me to stop at any time." He kisses her softly. He shifts to pull at her shirt but stops. He groans as he pulls back. "I don't have any condoms."

"What? How don't you have any condoms?"

"Well, I didn't exactly plan for this, Emma. We were taking it slow and then you…"

"So now it's my fault?"

"No, I didn't say that." He sighs. "I didn't mean it like that. I just… didn't think to get any. I guess I didn't want to jinx anything or freak you out or whatever if you found them." He rolls onto his back and lets out a heavy breath. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." She leans over and kisses his cheek. "There's a little store down the street. Moment's a little ruined now, but you never what could happen."

He nods as he sits up. "How far?"

"Couple blocks." She sits up and kisses his bare shoulder. "We'll go together. That way we can pick up some groceries too."

"Okay." He looks at her. "Well, Roman hasn't won this bet yet."

Emma pushes him. "Way to ruin the moment even more, jerk." She smiles when he simply laughs. "I'll be sure to call him and let him know."

Dean frowns at her as he grabs his shirt. "The hell you will." He pulls his shirt on.

Emma watches as Dean pulls his wallet out as the cashier rings their items up. She frowns at the sight. "What are you doing?" she asks.

Dean looks at her. "Getting my card out," he answers. "Not obvious?"

"No, I can see that, but why?"

"Because I can." He winks at her. "Don't worry about it, Short Stack."

"Well, isn't that a nice nickname," the cashier mutters.

Emma turns toward the woman. "If I had an issue with it, he would have known about it the first time he called me that."

"Second, actually," Dean says. "The first time you were asleep."

"It's offensive. He's disrespecting you and you don't even see that."

"How is that disrespecting me?" Emma asks. She shakes her head. "I'm sorry you see it as him disrespecting me, but it's not. If you haven't noticed, he's like a foot taller than me."

"So that gives him the right to call you short?"

"No, I give him the okay to call me short. Just like he gives me the okay to call him grumpy. Now can we finish up here?" She looks at Dean and glares at him. "You are not paying for this."

Dean looks over to argue but stops when he sees the look on her face. He nods as he shoves his wallet back into his pocket. It's a look he's learned not to argue with. "Okay."

Emma grabs the receipt from the woman before taking the cart and storming out of the store. Dean sighs as he glances at the woman once again.

"Now I get to deal with that," he mutters before walking out. He catches up with Emma with ease.

"How dare she?"

"Ignore her."

"If I had a problem with it, you would not be using that name anymore." She opens the trunk of her car.

Dean helps load the groceries into the trunk. "Emma, don't listen to her. I don't use it is disrespect you or anything like that. I can stop using it if you want."

"No!" Emma looks up at him. "I like it." She rests her hands on Dean's arms. "I don't look at myself as short. I'm a short compared to you? Obviously. But I've never looked at myself as short. You better keep calling me Short Stack."

He nods. "Okay." He kisses her softly. "Only if you keep calling me Grumpy."

"Deal." She smiles up at him.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Dean leans down to tie his boots as he listens to the last minute changes to their segment. He looks over at Joey when he doesn't hear anything about Emma. "What about Emma?" he asks.

Joey laughs softly. "She'll be out there with you," he answers. "Were you not listening? She walks out with you and then after you two take care of 3MB, she'll start the talking."

Dean frowns. Had Joey really said all of that before? He lets out a heavy sigh. "Right, okay." He rubs the back of his neck. It shouldn't surprise him that he missed the conversation. He's been too busy thinking about Emma.

"You okay?" Roman asks after Joey walks out.

"Yeah," Dean answers. He shrugs. "Did he really talk about Emma?"

Roman nods. "Yes. What's with you? You and Emma okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just thinking." He sighs. "It's been a good week. Never imagined I would like spending an entire week with a woman." He snorts. "There's just something about her."

"So I've noticed. Come on, we need to head up."

Dean nods as he stands up and follows Roman out of the locker room. "By the way, you owe me ten bucks."

"What? No."

"Yep." Dean smirks.

"Wow, I didn't think you had it in you."

"Yeah, well, you would have been right."

"What happened? What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. We just didn't have anything. And then her roommate was home and it was a bit weird to think about that then."

Roman nods. "Who's her roommate?"

"She has two actually. Paige, but she obviously wasn't there."

"Obviously, jackass." Roman rolls his eyes. "The one that was there."

"Bayley." Dean grins when he sees the look on Roman's face change. "And you ass holes thought I had it bad."

"Fuck you."

As they're approaching the door to head out to the upper level, Dean sees Emma standing there. He can't help but smile a little as they stop by her. "Hey."

"Hey," Emma says. She hits his stomach gently. "Bayley called me."

"Bayley, huh?" Dean looks at Roman and chuckles. "What'd she want?"

"You left a pair of jeans there."

"That's where they went. I was looking through my bag for them and couldn't find them."

"Now you know why." She looks at Roman. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Roman answers. "Had a lot of help in the healing process from a gorgeous little five year old."

Emma smiles at him. "You had your daughter?"

He nods. "Got her on Wednesday and dropped her off yesterday. Also had breakfast with them this morning before I came out here."

"That's great."

"So Amber wasn't a bitch this week?" Dean asks. He nods at the security guard standing at the door leading out to the arena.

"Amber and I sat down and had a really good talk. We both agreed that we need to focus on Liliana and not each other."

"Good."

Emma leans against the wall as she watches Dean and Roman go through their usual routines when they reach the doors leading into the arena. She has to wonder what they did when they weren't part of a team. Maybe she'll ask Dean about that. They get the signal that it's almost their time. Dean pours some water over his head before finishing off the bottle. He tosses it over to the fans before walking over to the door.

"Between us," he says looking at Emma.

Emma nods. "Okay." She hears the echo of the Shield's entrance and the doors are opened. She follows Dean through the door and starts down the stairs toward the ring.

Once over the barricade, she moves over to stand on the steel steps and watches as Dean and Roman climb into the ring. It doesn't take long for them to have the members of 3MB on the ground. Emma gestures for a microphone as she walks up the steps to the ring apron. She climbs into the ring as Roman climbs in from the other side. She watches as Dean and Roman bump fists. She moves into the center of the ring and looks around.

"As I left last week I didn't know what I was going to do. I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with what Paige and Seth had done. But I have had a long week to think about it." She glances at the other two who are pacing the ring. "And it's really simple. Paige, after everything we have been through you do that? And for what? You already have the Diva's title. I don't know what else you could want. But that's okay. You should've finished the job last week, because I'm coming for you and your title." She turns and hands Dean the microphone. She walks over and leans against the turnbuckles as she watches Dean still trying to calm himself down. The man is amazing at this.

"The Shield was untouchable," Dean starts. "And we will go down in the history books as one of the greatest groups in sports entertainment, ever. We dominated WWE, we beat everybody." He smirks. "Even Evolution." He taps his finger on the microphone. "But we weren't healthy. We had a cancer inside of us, little did we know. And that cancer's name… that cancer's name was Seth Rollins. History is full of people like you, Seth. Everybody in the building knows someone like you, Seth. The kinda guy that would stab his brothers in the back. Suck up. Sell-out to the Authority. Now when I get the opportunity to rearrange your face, which I will, your nose isn't going to be here anymore, it's going to be here, by your ear. I say ear because you're only going to have one left. I'm gonna rip your dirty, stinkin' hair out by the roots and I'm gonna stuff it in your mouth. There's gonna be plenty of room where your teeth used to be."

Emma can't help but continue to be amazed by this man. She's going to have to get pointers from him, because he's certainly one of the best.

"Seth Rollins!" He beats on his chest. "My brutha! You are scum and we are looking forward to what that scum has to say tonight. We want you to stand out here in front of the whole world and lie through your teeth. We want you to stand out here in the middle of the ring, in front of the whole world, and we want them to hear Triple H's words comin' out of your mouth. We're going to listen to every word of it and then we're gonna beat the hell out of you." He slams the microphone out of his hand and onto the mat.

Emma grins when the crowd erupts at that. She nods when Dean glances over at her. Dean picks the microphone up again and hands it to Roman, apologizing. Roman smirks and pats him on the back before turning serious once again.

"Seth, you've committed the most unforgivable sin," Roman says. He breathes heavily, laced with growls. "You're the scum of the earth. There's things you don't do in life. You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't piss in the wind, and you don't stab your brothers in the back. But you're only part of the problem. The other parts are Randy Orton and Triple H. Randy Orton, he runs around here and thinks everybody owes him something. He thinks he's the face of this company. When I get my hands on you, Randy, you're gonna be the ass of this company. And when I'm done with you, I'm comin' for you, Triple H. The king of kings. We're gonna have our own game of thrones. Believe that." He tosses the microphone behind him.

Emma pushes herself away from the turnbuckles and walks around the ring as Dean and Roman continue around as well. They bump fists again before looking over at Emma. She nods at them, letting them know that she's here with them. They all slide out of the ring and make their way to the back. Once they make it to the back, Emma looks at Dean.

"You need to give me pointers," she says.

Dean frowns as he looks at her. "Pointers for what?" he asks.

"Promos like that." She points out toward the ring. "You are amazing."

He snorts. "Nothing special, Short Stack."

"You are though. So you give me pointers."

He nods. "Fine. But then you have to come with me."

"Where are we going?"

Dean takes her hand and pulls her down the hall. "Don't worry about it." He turns down a hallway and opens a door. He flips the light on as he pulls Emma into the small room.

"Dean, we are in a closet."

"I know." He turns and pushes Emma against the closed door. He smiles down at her when she shrieks a little. "Come here." He leans down and kisses her softly. "So you want some pointers on promos, huh?"

"Yes." She rests her hands on his chest. "You do it with such ease. I was watching you out there. If I didn't know what was going on with this, I would think that you really do want to kill Seth. How do you do it?"

"The first thing you have to remember is that no matter how close you are with the person you are talking to or about is that you are not the Emma Dashwood you are back here. Out there you are Emma, the WWE Diva." He watches her closely. "Out there you have to be Emma, the WWE Diva and not Emma Dashwood."

She nods. "How are you able to separate the two? How are you this Dean back here, but lunatic Dean out there?"

"I don't know." He shrugs. "I've been doing it for so long I don't even know anymore. I think what you have to do is before going out there just zone out and forget everything back here. That's where you really need to start."

"Okay."

"Good, now enough talking."

Emma giggles when Dean kisses her once again. She slides her arms around his neck as he deepens the kiss.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Emma watches Dean and Roman run down to the ring where Seth is giving his interview. She would give anything to be out there to see this happening, but she knows she couldn't be. At least she'll get to be out there for the six man tag team match later on. She watches Dean's every movement. The man is amazing. She looks beside her when she feels someone step up beside her, smiling when she sees Paige.

"Hi," Paige says.

"Hey," Emma says.

"He's good."

"He is." Emma smiles at Paige. "He's amazing."

"If he hurts you, he is going to have to deal with me. I'm just the beginning of the line and probably the end. There's a long line of people, Emma."

She nods. "I know. And that means a lot to me. We're going to fight. We're both too stubborn to not. But in the end? I know he would never to anything to hurt me."

Paige nods. "Good. I'm glad you're happy. You deserve to be."

"Thanks." She looks over when Dean and Roman walk into the back. She watches as Dean looks at Roman, muttering something. She frowns a bit as she watches them walk past her.

"You coming, Short Stack?" Dean asks without turning around.

Emma grins. "I'll see you later." She gives Paige a little wave before catching up with Dean and Roman. "You okay?" she asks looking at Dean.

Dean nods. "Shouldn't I be?"

"Well, yes you should be. You just seem like something's bothering you."

He shakes his head. "No, just have to pee." He winks at her before disappearing into the bathroom.

Emma looks at Roman. "He really okay?"

Roman nods. "As far as I know," he answers as they continue down the hall to their dressing room. "So I hear I lost the bet."

Emma blushes at that. "You two are crazy." She sits down when they get into the room, pulling her feet up under her. "I think you should both give me the money for having to deal with your insanity."

He snorts. "You love our insanity."

"Oh right. Keep reminding me of that." She looks over when Dean walks in. "Feel better now?"

"Yes," Dean answers with a laugh. He sits down beside her.

"I was just telling Roman that you two should have to give me the ten bucks from your dumb bet for having to deal with your insanity."

He grins at her. "You're hilarious."

"Thanks." She giggles when Dean leans over and nips at her bottom lip.

"Come here." He kisses her softly.

Reaching up, Emma curls her fingers into Dean's hair. She sighs happily into the kiss. Dean pulls away when Roman clears his throat.

"I swear, you ruin everything," Dean groans.

"Like you want to see me making out with someone?"

"Not the point."

"Hmm." Roman rolls his eyes.

"You should just ask for her number."

Roman looks at Dean and frowns. "Cause that's a good idea."

Emma raises an eyebrow at Roman. "Who's number?"

"No one."

"Bayley," Dean answers.

Roman glares at him. "You're an ass hole."

"I remember this conversation being turned around not too long ago."

"Right but there's one big difference. You had at least talked to Emma."

"We'll be heading to Orlando soon," Emma says. "I can introduce you if you want."

Roman sighs. "Can we talk about something else?"

Emma smacks Dean's arm when he snorts. "Dean, stop." She stands up and walks over to Roman. She makes him look at her so she can speak softly. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Roman nods. "I hate it because I'm pining after a woman I've never met."

She smiles at him. "So we'll change that."

He nods again. "Yeah, okay. Just keep Dean off my back about it."

"I will." Emma kisses his cheek before turning and glaring at Dean. "I'll see you guys later."

Dean frowns as he watches her walk out. "What the fuck?"

"You're a jackass," Roman says. He shakes his head.

"What'd I do to her though? I get that I was a jackass to you. Which, I'm kidding you know that."

"Does she?"

He frowns even more. "Fuck."

Roman grins. "I think it had more to do with the fact that Bayley's her friend."

"What does that have to do with you though?"

"If you really don't know the answer to that, we're going to have to reevaluate our friendship."

Dean sighs. "Right, sorry." He stands up. "I'm off to find Emma and probably hide from Paige."

Roman snorts. "Good plan."

Emma looks up when Dean sits down across from her at the table she's sitting at. "How can you laugh at him like that?" she asks.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Dean answers. "He knows that. He and I have been close for a while and it's what we do. I forget that not everyone sees it that way and I'm sorry for that." He shrugs.

Emma nods. "Well, I guess I should also get used to the way you guys tease each other."

Dean reaches across the table and takes Emma's hand. "Forgive me?"

She smiles when it's him that makes the move of having contact. "I forgive you." She squeezes Dean's hand.

* * *

Emma follows Dean down the arena steps toward the ring. She watches as he ducks away from a fan when the woman touches his hair. He stops and turns toward the woman. Emma rests her hand on his shoulder, pushing him gently to ignore the woman. Dean runs a hand through his hair as he turns and continues to walk down.

"Making their way to the ring, being accompanied by Emma, at a combined weight of 490 pounds, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns."

Emma climbs over the barricade and watches Dean look back at them. "Let it go," she says softly.

Dean growls before they all climb into the ring. Emma stays to the side as John Cena's music starts. She watches as Dean and Roman stand watching their tag team partner makes his way down the ramp. She moves over to the corner, not completely surprised when the two men move to stand in front of her slightly; it's done in a protective manner. The lights go out.

Dean and Roman move to stand in the middle of the ring with John. The lights come back on and the Wyatt family is outside the ring. Emma walks around to stand behind the three men.

"Get out," Dean says softly.

She squeezes each of their arms before climbing out of the ring. She isn't surprised when the six men stare at each other. It's even less of a surprise when the action spills outside of the ring. She moves out of the way, making her way to the side where John is now standing. She frowns up at him slightly, just like she had been told to do. _Make it look like you aren't sure if he's going to help you three or not._ She could do that.

Emma walks along the side of the ring as she watches Rowan continue to beat Dean down. "Come on, Dean," she calls out. She flinches when he's tossed out of the ring. She walks over to the steps to check on him. She jumps out of the way when he throws Rowan into the steel steps.

Once back in the ring, Dean is once again beat down. Emma moves back over to where she had been standing. "Come on, Dean!"

Roman breaks up a three count before he's thrown out of the ring by Luke. Emma steps over to check on him but doesn't take her eyes off of Dean in the ring. Dean manages to get over and tag John in before sliding out of the ring. She watches as Dean falls against the barricade. She squats down beside him as Roman climbs back up onto the ring apron.

"I'm fine," Dean mutters. It doesn't take too long before he's pulling himself up to the ring apron as well; though, he stays on his knees for a short time.

Emma steps closer to the ring and watches John closely. It isn't looking good and he obviously needs a tag. She steps back a little when Dean starts pacing along the apron. She jumps up and down when John finally tags in Roman. In the matter of moments, things have escalated to another level. Emma backs up the ramp to stay out of the way as some of the action has moved to the outside again.

Roman pins Luke after hitting the spear for a three count. Emma smiles as she jumps into the ring. She watches as Dean and Roman embrace. They then step over to her and give her a quick hug before they look over at John. Emma steps to the side to let the three men celebrate their victory.

Dean walks over to Emma after they get the signal that they're off the air. He'd seen the look on her face, even if she had thought she'd hidden it well. "I'm fine," he whispers. "So is he."

Emma nods. "I just saw what you two dealt with," she whispers back.

He nods. "We're good." He winks at her before stepping back and climbing out of the ring to greet the fans.


End file.
